


Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

by Level99Eevee



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Illustrations, M/M, Multi, Other, how do i do this tagging thing, oh boy howdy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 94,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26908537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Level99Eevee/pseuds/Level99Eevee
Summary: Though no one knows how or why, humans have been appearing in the Pokemon world more and more frequently for the past fifty years. It takes time for them to adapt to a brand new body with no memories (and there’s always a lot of confusion about the talking animals and sentient teapots floating around), but most find a happy new life in the Pokemon world. However, as the natural order of the world begins to break down--evolution becoming impossible, mystery dungeons and natural disasters cropping up at an alarming rate, the gods themselves going dormant--some are starting to suspect the rising number of humans has something to do with the world's imbalance.Every crisis needs a scapegoat.Nia just wants to return to her old life and those she left behind, but to do so she'll have to team up with a sharp-tongued charmander who is carrying his own baggage from a painful past. A story heavily focused on relationships, growth, and overcoming grief, join Nia and Tobias on their journey as Seekers in the Pokemon world!
Relationships: and a lot of different relationships between those characters, riolu & charmander, riolu/charmander, since their relationship is the most central, so im just going to tag Nia and Tobias, there are a lot of different characters, throughout the story
Comments: 107
Kudos: 104





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, let's do this! I've very rarely posted any of my writing online, so this should be an adventure. This prologue is just a short setup for the story to really begin, so be prepared for much longer chapters in the future. Next chapter we'll meet our two main protagonists! :3c

The rift is defined by its emptiness, a void of black and blue like a starless sky. Broken chunks of land float about as if suspended in time. It’s silent, the type of quiet usually found in the wake of disasters. 

A flash of pink weaves through the dark landscape. Mew moves quickly, eager to leave and already nervous about when she’ll have to return again. She doesn’t want to get caught where she isn’t supposed to be, or in the middle of a dimensional ripple. Still, she slows to a stop when a flicker of bright blue catches her eye.

Another soul?

Mew drifts closer to find that the light wavering in space like a tiny flame is indeed a lost soul. A human soul. She must be closer to the border than she thought.

She glances over her shoulder, unease suddenly less important than the familiar hope blooming in her chest. She shouldn’t be so excited to find a lost soul, especially one like this that snuck through, but she can’t help it! Any shot at finding answers, no matter how small, is a good thing. She takes her duty seriously, knowing how much is at stake.

It doesn’t matter that it’s not her _official_ duty. It’s her responsibility all the same. 

“You sure wandered far, huh?” She whispers, reaching her paws out to cradle the soul. “Be careful—that sort of curiosity gets you into trouble. I would know!”

The soul reacts to her touch, pulsing brighter as if happy to feel her warmth. Mew giggles, eyeing the pretty color. She wishes she had the ability to see what this soul is really like, what it’s been through, what it treasures, who it will be.

With the soul held close, she flies off in the opposite direction of the human world’s border. It takes a few minutes or maybe a few hours to traverse the stretch of space and debris (it’s really quite hard to tell in a place like this) but eventually she senses a different blurring of dimensions, where the Pokemon world awaits just ahead. She slows to meet it, finding where the veil of space thins and fades to an even darker void.

“Time to see who you are!” Mew chirps.

She may not be able to peek directly into the souls themselves, but it’s always fun to see what shape they choose, which mold their soul adapts to the best. She touches the soul, and the flame of it licks around her paw while she feeds it her power, lets her status as the Mother of All Pokemon actually mean something. Mew never regrets this part of her duty, even if it leaves her feeling drained. She knows she’s saving the soul from having to scrape together a form for itself.

The soul flickers brighter and expands, and Mew can see the faint outline of a body begin to take shape around it. It’s rather small, maybe a bit larger than Mew herself, and standing on two legs. She thinks she can see a tail and ears forming—

A riolu! She can’t wait to share the news. It’s always encouraging to have a soul change into a different form than all the souls before it. It gives them both a bit more hope that this one might be different, that this might be the one to find the answers they seek. A distant rumble sounds in the rift, right on cue, and Mew notes it with a twitch of her tail. It’s far off. She still has time.

The soul’s body finishes forming with a gentle shimmer of light, and Mew trills as she circles it, admiring the blue fur and delicate black markings. She reaches out to touch the arm, pleased that the fur is as soft as it looks, and then looks at the riolu’s peaceful face, eyes shut as if asleep.

“Go do great things, okay?” Mew says, more of a plea than a command. She touches her nose to the riolu’s forehead, and with a rush of power sends the soul on its way to the Pokemon world.

Then, Mew is alone again. She sighs, a little sad. She is not overly sentimental, thank you very much! But she also hasn’t ever had the opportunity to really reunite with her charges, and that leaves her with far too many goodbyes.

Mew flicks an ear at another distant rumble and shakes the thought from her head. With one more glance at the border, she slips away, making a mental note to pass on word of this newest transformed soul. But not today—she can’t linger here for much longer.

It’s up to that little soul to seek its own path now. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lost soul wakes up in a very strange world. Maybe she’d be a bit less terrified if the giant orange lizard she’s trapped with would stop insulting her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, here we go! Get ready for chapters to become much longer, haha. Time to meet our main protagonists!

It’s warm, sunlight harsh against her closed eyes. Why is it so bright in her room? She tucks her head away from the glare, only half-conscious under a heavy haze of sleep.

“—ou wake up already?”

Is someone talking to her? A hand shakes her, and she bats it away with a whine. Her alarm hasn’t gone off yet, so she should still have time to sleep. 

The voice speaks again, sharp with annoyance. “Look, I need to make sure you aren’t dying or something. It’s protocol.”

Dying? She lifts her head with a squint, and the question on her tongue vanishes like morning mist. Standing above her is...a lizard. A dragon? Lizard. A big orange lizard—no, a _huge_ orange lizard, standing on two legs and glaring down at her. It’s as big as her! She blinks, hard, trying to decide if she’s dreaming. She has to be dreaming.

The lizard rolls its eyes, grumbling, “Finally.”

She jumps, suddenly wide awake. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen the lizard form the word with his own mouth, but he talked. It sounds like a he, at least, voice young and raspy but a bit masculine—

“So you’re okay?” The lizard asks, looking as if he’d really rather be anywhere else. “I don’t want Maggie tearing me a new one for leaving you here if you’re hurt.”

She stares in response, gaze moving from the lizard’s blue eyes to his orange skin and cream belly. He has a bright red bandana around his neck, and a worn satchel slung over his shoulder. Something about him seems too _alive_ , like what she’s seeing could never be accomplished by puppets or CGI. Maybe it’s the faint scent of smoke wafting off of him.

“If you don’t answer I’m gonna assume you’re fine and go. I have a job to do,” the lizard says.

He keeps speaking, but his voice fades into the background as she focuses on the other sensations she can feel, and why exactly they feel so real. This is a dream. Why can she feel her heart pounding against her ribs, the heat on her shoulders, a slight breeze against her face? Her eyes dart around, somehow expecting her bedroom, but no, this is a lush, grassy field, with patches of wildflowers and a ceiling of deep blue sky and walls of green forest. She can smell the nature around her, sharper than usual. Why…Why is she outside? Where is she?

She moves to sit up, but looks down in confusion when her legs feel...wrong. Clunky. And those—those are not her legs. Those legs are glossy black with fur, all backwards knees with paws like a dog’s. What—she’s a person, she is 100% a regular human being, so how..? She reaches out to touch them, dumbstruck, and instead a blue hand—paw?—responds, flinching back with surprise. What happened to her? What is she?

She tries to reign in her panic, but blood is roaring in her ears as her throat tightens. She’s just dreaming, right? But she doesn’t lucid dream, and how could she know how it feels to have dull claws at her fingertips? Or be wondering about this in the first place? If this was a dream, wouldn’t she just go along with it like every other weird thing that happens in dreams?

But she has to be asleep. Numb with shock, she looks at the soft pads on her inner hands. She’s a human, she knows she is, she has no idea where she is or what she is _now_ but this isn’t her! Hot tears spring into her eyes and blur her vision.

“All right, fine. Maybe Maggie can get you to talk,” The lizard grumbles, reaching out a hand to grab her arm.

The panic boils over.

“No!” She shrieks, shoving him away and scrambling to her feet. Too close, he’s too close and she doesn’t know who he is or _what_ he is or what _she_ is so she—she needs to get away. Maybe if she does she’ll wake up. She runs.

“ _Hey!_ ” The lizard yells after her, and now he _does_ sound angry, oh no oh no—

She trips over her feet (paws?) and stumbles. The rush of fear tells her to go go _go_ so she kicks off again and bolts for the forest, crashing through brush and ferns and blindly dodging around tree trunks, hopping roots and rocks with ease.

The lizard shouts something from behind her, but even if she’s stumbling, unused to these legs, they’re long and strong enough for her to stay ahead of him. She gasps and pants and focuses on running, on doing something she can control as she weaves through the forest until her lungs burn.

The lizard yells something again, and she risks glancing behind her. Her heart jumps as she sees a flash of orange. Even on his much shorter legs, he’s racing after her with a fierce expression.

“Stop!” He gasps, sounding out of breath. “Dungeon! There’s a dungeon!”

Dungeon? What is that even supposed to mean?! She looks ahead but sees nothing but forest. Fear spikes even sharper in her gut. The lizard yells again, and suddenly he sounds much closer, more panicked. Then a heavy weight is slamming into her, and the two of them go rolling across the forest floor.

When they stop, the lizard pins her down, lips pulled back into a snarl to show sharp teeth. “Stop _running!_ By Entei’s fire, what’s wrong with you?”

It’s too much, the fear choking her lungs and the anger being thrown at her, and the sob sitting in her chest finally rips free.

The lizard pulls back. “Are you _crying?!_ I was trying to—ugh!”

The lizard shuffles off of her, and she curls in on herself to swallow a whimper. A few tears slip free anyways, and she wipes at them. After a few moments, she manages to sniff them back and look up. The lizard is quiet, looking around at the forest with a frown. Then, his face pales, hunched shoulders falling.

“We passed the boundary,” he breathes. Then he turns on her. “Why didn’t you stop?! You ran us right into a mystery dungeon, you idiot!”

She flinches away from his anger. “I-I’m sorry!”

“They speak! Wonderful. Wish you would’ve done that five minutes ago.” The lizard huffs, and for a moment she thinks she sees smoke (steam?) wisp from his mouth. She sniffs and wipes away more tears so she can see clearly.

Of course, that’s when she sees his tail is _on fire._

“Your tail!” She yelps, slapping her hands over her mouth and looking around frantically for some water.

"What about my tail?" The lizards snarls.

She blinks, terror fading under her confusion. She looks back to his tail, where a small flame burns at the tip. Then she looks at his face. He seems annoyed, but not in pain.

“It’s on fire?” She offers.

He rolls his eyes. “You act like you’ve never seen a fire type before.”

Fire type? She sniffs, hesitantly shaking her head.

He stops. Then gives her a suspicious look. “Where are you from?”

She swallows, looking around at the forest. It almost seems...narrower than before. Like the trees and plants have closed in on them or something. She must be imagining it.

“I-I think I’m lost?” She says, finally getting her crying under control. “I...I’m a human, so I don’t know why I look like this o-or where I am.”

“Human?” The lizard scoffs. “Yeah, sure. And I’m Moltres.”

“I am!” She protests, weakly. She manages to stand again on shaky legs, giving him a pleading look. “Really! I-I don’t know why I’m blue or have weird dog legs but I _am_ human! I just thought I was dreaming all of this!”

The lizard snorts. “Well, you aren’t dreaming. We’re in a dungeon now thanks to you.”

“Dungeon?” She echoes, looking around at the forest.

He gives her another glare. “A mystery dungeon.” He must see the confusion on her face because his glare falters under a baffled look. “You really don’t know.”

She shakes her head. He looks like he still doesn’t believe her, but a distant cry of something birdlike makes him look nervously into the undergrowth.

“All you need to know is that we’re stuck in this place until we make it to the exit, so we need to find it fast and get out.”

“E-Exit? But it’s a forest. Don’t we just need to retrace our steps?”

“Look around, idiot. The dungeon warps the environment, so even if we went back the way we came the terrain would be totally different.”

She blinks, looking again at their surroundings. She hadn’t been imagining the trees and undergrowth closing in on them. The trunks and plants have changed to form a wall-like barrier boxing them into something vaguely like a hallway. It’s still open, though, with leaf-dappled blue sky above them, and she can kind of see beyond the undergrowth, further into the forest. She steps closer to the “wall” and jumps back with a squeak when the undergrowth _moves_ , twisting and interlocking into something more solid.

“You can’t break through the walls,” the lizard says, watching her. “The only way out is to find the exit.”

“O-Okay,” she whispers, stepping closer to the lizard. He may be sharp and aggressive and alien, but he’s all she knows in this place. “So how do we do that?”

“We have to find the stairs,” he says, glancing over his shoulder. “C’mon, we need to keep moving.”

“We’re looking for s-stairs? Like steps?”

The lizard grunts an affirmative noise.

She swallows back more questions despite her nerves and follows him forward. Okay. This isn’t so bad, right? Sure, she’s in some strange world with talking lizards (who are _on fire_ ), and she’s...also a weird animal now, she guesses? A dog? But the forest is soothing and even if he clearly doesn’t like her, the lizard at least knows what’s going on and isn’t leaving her behind. Her heart slows a bit at the thought that at least she isn’t totally alone.

The undergrowth rustles ahead of them, and the lizard stops. She tries to peek around him.

“Is it someone else?” She asks, quietly. “Are they lost too?”

“Shut up,” the lizard hisses. They stay still and silent until the rustling moves away. Then he sends her another glare. “Probably a feral.”

Well, that’s not a calming term. “Feral?”

The lizard groans and pushes his palms into his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Then, he takes a visible inhale before turning to her. “Ferals are Pokémon who get caught up in the mystery dungeon and become mindlessly aggressive. If we run into them, we’ll have to fight.”

“F-Fight?!” She yelps, distantly registering the strange sensation of ears pressing against her skull. “I don’t _fight_ people!”

“Well you’re the one who got us stuck in a mystery dungeon so you’re gonna have to!” He snaps back. “We’ll avoid the ferals when we can, but if we get attacked you won’t have much of a choice.”

“I don’t know how to,” she whimpers, tucking her hands close to her chest. “I-I don’t think I’ve ever gotten in a fight in my life.”

Has she? She can’t remember right now for some reason. But she does know she’s not the fighting type—the thought of it makes her physically cringe.

“All Pokémon know how to fight,” the lizard protests.

She opens her mouth to argue, then closes it again, her curiosity winning out. “Pokémon?”

The lizard’s mouth closes with a click. “Pokémon,” he says, slowly, like he’s explaining a very simple concept to a child. He sweeps a clawed hand between the two of them. “What we are?”

Oh! Like instead of saying he’s an animal, he calls himself a...Pokémon? And she’s one too? All right, that...kind of makes sense. They have different names for things then.

“Okay,” she says. “S-So we’re both Pokémon?”

“I’m a charmander,” he adds, still staring at her like he’s trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with her.

“Charmander,” she murmurs, looking again at his orange skin and long, lizard-like body. So that must be like his...species? “You do kind of look like a salamander.”

“No idea what that is,” he huffs, then turns to move down the hallway. “C’mon, we need to go or we’ll run into ferals for sure. If you’re going to be useless in a fight we should avoid them.”

She winces at that, but can’t really argue either. She doesn’t know anything about this place or what she is, and she definitely doesn’t want to fight. They walk quietly down the hall, the lizard—charmander?—peeking around the corner before they step down another hall. She looks around at the interwoven roots and plants and at the sun dappling the mossy ground, admiring the beauty of it all. It doesn’t _seem_ so scary. It’s actually kind of peaceful, even if the moving plant life is unnerving. Maybe they won’t run into any ferals.

Of course, that’s exactly when they step into an open room where another animal—Pokémon—is rummaging through the moss. It’s a...bug? Short and compact, with a white body and an orange and yellow helmet-like head with little pincers. It’s bigger than any bug she’s seen, almost half her size, but it’s weirdly...cute?

“A grubbin,” The lizard mutters.

“It’s adorable,” she coos, relaxing.

The bug turns to them with blank white eyes and chitters aggressively, before shooting some sort of weblike string at them. The lizard dodges, but Riolu yelps and falls as it tangles around her arms and legs. Okay, _less_ cute.

“W-What is this?!” She cries, pulling at the sticky string. It’s unusually strong and hard to break, like some kind of tape or plastic.

“String shot!” The lizard barks, running at the bug.

A flare of light distracts her from her struggling, and she’s stunned to look up and see the lizard breathing small clouds of embers at the bug, like a dragon. She isn’t sure whether to be awed by the magical feat or concerned about the bug he’s burning to a crisp.

The bug squeaks and shuffles away from the flames, then braces itself and scoops its tiny legs into the dirt, flinging a clump of mud at the lizard and knocking him away with a hiss. It isn’t even muddy, the forest floor is dry and warm, so how did it do that?! She hurries to free herself from the string, stumbling to her paws.

“Riolu, duck!”

Riolu? She glances up at the lizard’s shout, just in time for mud to slam into her face and send her sprawling again. The lizard growls something as she swipes at the mud, spitting it out of her mouth. Gross! That actually kind of hurt. When she shakes free of the mud and looks up again, the lizard spins to slam his tail into the bug. The little creature tumbles away and falls still.

“Is it dead?” She gasps, suddenly feeling a lot less calm about being stuck with this fire lizard in the middle of some crazy magic dungeon.

“Of course not!” The lizard snaps. “It’s just knocked out.“

“Is that any better?!”

The lizard rolls his eyes. “Battling is _normal_. And if we lose, we might not make it out of here, so take your pick.”

She pads to his side to look at the bug herself. It’s a little charred, clearly unconscious, but it doesn’t look as bad as she expected it to after having fire breathed directly on it. Huh.

“Let’s keep moving,” the lizard says, a puff of smoke snaking between his teeth. He heads down another hallway, and she follows behind, trying to decide if she wants to ask the questions dancing on the tip of her tongue. He clearly doesn’t like her, but...he just breathed _fire!_ How is she supposed to stay quiet about that?!

“S-So...you breathe fire.”

The lizard spares her an irritated glance. “And?”

“So magic is normal here?”

He snorts. “It’s not ‘magic.’ I’m a fire type. My body’s made for flames just like a water type’s would be made for water.”

She blinks, then looks down at her paws. So types are kind of like the magic system? “Do...Do I have a type?”

“Apparently it’s the type that won’t shut up,” he growls. She winces. After a beat, he adds, “You’re a fighting type, if I remember right.”

“Fighting type?” She echoes, unsure. “B-But...I don’t like fighting.”

The lizard groans, lashing his tail and making her hop a step back from the flame. “You don’t have to fight! Arceus. Pokémon fight for fun sometimes, but no one’s going to force you unless it’s your job as a Seeker or something. Fighting type just means your moves will have like. Fighting energy to them. So they’ll be strong against normal types and stuff.”

She stays silent, biting back a hundred more questions. Fighting energy? ‘Moves?’ Seekers? Why couldn’t she have gotten stuck with someone more friendly? She’s dying over here!

The two of them turn another corner, stopping when they emerge into another small “room.” A set of ivy-covered stone stairs sit in the middle of the room, going up a few steps before stopping at nothing in mid-air.

“Are those the stairs?” She asks.

“No, it’s some _other_ set of stairs in the middle of the woods,” the lizard says.

She tries not to feel hurt by his tone, instead stepping closer to peer at them. “When you said stairs I was expecting them to go, uh. Down, I guess. Or at least to lead to something?”

The lizard ignores her, stepping onto the first stair and then pausing to wait for her. Seeing her surprise, he rolls his eyes. “If we don’t go together we might get separated. You wanna fight your own way out of here?”

She squeaks and shakes her head, hurrying to follow him up. When they reach the top step, the world seems to tilt and blur for the briefest moment. Vertigo makes her dizzy, and her stomach flips with nausea and—

Oh. They’re standing back on solid forest floor, her stumbling and trying to regain her balance. She grabs the lizard’s arm to steady herself, and he’s quick to shake her off.

“Aren’t riolu supposed to be tough?” He sneers.

When she doesn’t think she’s going to throw up, she squints up at him. “Riolu?”

He stares back at her with a look that implies she is perhaps the stupidest person he’s ever had the pleasure of meeting. “ _You_. You’re a riolu.”

She blinks, then looks down again at her strange dog legs and blue arms with a mound of...bone? On them. There are still a few tiny bits of webbing stuck in her fur, and she takes a moment to try pulling them free. “Oh. So...like, my species is called a riolu? Like how you’re a uh...”

“Charmander.”

“Y-Yeah. That.”

He sighs, rubbing at his face. “I can’t tell if you’re really this stupid or if you’re just dedicated to not telling me the truth.”

“Why would I lie?” She asks, offended. “I don’t know anything about this place! I’m human!”

“Sure,” he grumbles. “Whatever. Let’s just get out of here already.“

The lizard sets off again, and she follows behind him, looking around. Their surroundings look incredibly similar, all dappled sunlight and lush foliage woven into strange hall-like structures.

“This looks exactly the same,” she mumbles.

“It’s how dungeons work,” the lizard says, distracted as he scans the halls. “The different floors usually look alike.”

She glances at him as he picks a direction to follow. “So do you go into a lot of these?”

The lizard snorts. “Nope. I’m not stupid enough to go charging into dungeons for fun. Maggie’s going to kill me for this little stunt.”

She blinks, torn between a couple different questions. He seems so confident and he knows a lot, which makes her wonder how he knows so much if he doesn’t come into dungeons often, but...

“Maggie?” She asks.

“I’m sure you’ll meet her when she chews me out,” he grumbles.

She swallows back her nerves about that. One thing at a time. “Is her species called a...Maggie?”

The lizard actually barks a short laugh. “Her _name_ is Maggie, idiot. She’s a meganium.”

She isn’t sure whether to feel proud of making the grouchy lizard laugh or embarrassed about such a dumb question, so she ignores both impulses.

“W-Wait, so do you have a name?”

“Of course I have a name.”

She waits in silence as they walk, the only sound the rustling of the wind through the forest and distant animal-like sounds.

“Um. What is it?” She asks.

“What’s yours?” He asks back like a challenge.

She opens her mouth to answer, then stops in her tracks as her stomach falls to her toes.

What...what _is_ her name?

She desperately tries to think, can feel the knowledge deep in her mind, but it’s like something is blocking her from reaching it. How can she not know her own name? She thinks harder, tries to remember her human life, but—

Nothing. It’s all locked away. She knows she used to be human, that this canine body is all wrong even if she can’t quite picture her own face. She knows that the plants nearby look an awful lot like ferns and that the sky is just as blue as she’s used to it being. But when she tries to think of who she is, her name, where she came from, who she might have left behind...

It’s all gone.

“Hey!”

She snaps out of her thoughts, surprised to find herself kneeling on the ground, the lizard nothing more than an orange blur through her tears. She’s crying again, harder, a painful ache like homesickness, like heartache, tearing at her chest and choking her throat.

“Why’re you crying?!” The lizard asks. It sounds like he’s trying to be angry but instead only sounds panicked. “Stop crying!”

“I d-don’t know my own name!” She gasps. “Why don’t I remember m-my name?! I don’t remember anything!”

“Uh.” The lizard leans away from her, sounding uncomfortable.

She cries harder, curling into herself. It’s hitting her all over again that she’s not dreaming, that this seems awfully real and she doesn’t know how she got here or who she is. What is she supposed to do? How can she get home? She doesn’t even have her own body!

She doesn’t know how long she cries, but by the time she feels her tears slowing, her nose is snotty and stuffed up, her head pounding with the beginning of a headache. She lifts her head, wiping at her eyes. She’s surprised to see the lizard still sitting nearby, looking out into the halls. He didn’t leave her?

He glances at her, expression unreadable. “You done?”

“Yeah,” she rasps, sniffing. “S-Sorry.”

“C’mon then,” he says, getting to his feet. She stumbles to her own feet to follow him as he heads down a hall, still wiping at her eyes.

After a few moments of silence, he says, “Until you give me a name, I’m calling you Riolu.”

She tilts her head at his back. But isn’t her species a riolu? That seems...strange. Like calling a pet “Hamster” or “Dog.” But she supposes if they don’t have anything else to call her it makes sense.

“Should I call you, uh...Charmander, then?”

“Tobias.”

She blinks. “Tobias?”

“No one else calls me Charmander, so you might as well follow their lead,” he grumbles almost too low to hear. Tobias it is. And for now at least, she’s Riolu. She wishes she could remember her actual name.

The two of them find the set of stairs in the next room, and take them up to the next floor. Riolu fights off another wave of nausea and is careful not to grab onto Tobias again.

She glances around at the forest scenery. “How many uh. How many sets of stairs will we have to find to get out?”

“Depends how many floors there are,” Tobias answers. “Hopefully—“

He cuts himself off as they step into another room and find two more feral Pokémon. Riolu steps closer to Tobias as the short acorn-like creature and the purple rat turn to glare at them with blank white eyes.

“Great,” Tobias growls. He shrugs off the satchel looped around his shoulder and shoves it into her chest. “If you aren’t gonna fight, then hold this.”

She takes it, watching with wide eyes as the rat darts forward with a hiss, aiming to bite Tobias’s arm. The lizard snarls in turn and tackles it, the two of them rolling across the ground.

Riolu‘s starting to suspect Tobias has some anger issues to work out.

The little acorn creature turns to Riolu, and she stiffens with a squeak, holding the bag up in front of her like a shield.

“P-Please don’t hurt me!”

The acorn launches itself at her in response, and she dives out of the way, trying not to crush the satchel under her. When she looks behind her, the acorn is already moving to attack again. She stumbles to her feet and runs away from it, a glance over her shoulder telling her that the little creature is following on its stubby little feet. How is it moving so fast without legs?!

“Tobias!” She wails, running a lap around the room as the acorn chases her. “What do I do?!”

“Kinda busy!” The lizard snarls, still wrestling with the vicious purple rat. Panicked, Riolu looks around for help. She doesn’t want to leave the room and risk losing Tobias or getting lost, but all that’s around her are the strange walls of roots and vines and—

Oh. Duh.

Riolu slips the satchel over her head and launches herself up at the wall, scrabbling to get a foothold on the shifting branches and plants as they interweave tighter to keep her from escaping. After a moment she manages to hook her dull claws between some branches, panting hard. She glances down. The acorn is hopping up and down trying to reach her.

“Boy am I glad you don’t have arms,” she huffs, risking a smile. She squeaks and almost loses her grip as a sudden cloud of embers consume the little acorn and leave it a dazed, crispy heap on the ground.

Tobias huffs a cloud of smoke as he pads closer, nudging the acorn with a foot to make sure it’s out cold.

“I-Is it okay?” Riolu asks.

Tobias rolls his eyes, looking up at her with an unimpressed expression. “They’ll be fine. Thanks for the help, by the way.”

“I don’t wanna fight anyone,” Riolu protests, feebly. She yelps as her foothold slips and she falls hard onto the mossy ground.

Tobias snorts. “Good, ‘cause I bet you suck at it. Give me my bag.”

Riolu wrinkles her nose at his comment but hands it over, and only then does she notice the blood running down his arm from a gash at his shoulder.

“You’re hurt!” She gasps.

Tobias huffs and digs through the satchel with his good arm. “And you’re observant.” He pull out a round, bright blue fruit. It’s not anything Riolu recognizes, but Tobias stuffs it in his mouth to chew it up, shivering when he swallows.

He turns his head to eye his arm, and Riolu watches in awe as the gash seems to stitch itself up in real-time, stopping the bleeding and scabbing over. The small scrapes littering the lizard’s skin seem to vanish too.

“What was that?!” She asks, fighting back the urge to reach out and touch the injury, just to make sure she’s not seeing things.

“Oran berry,” Tobias says, scooping his bag back onto his shoulder and moving towards the nearest hallway. “C’mon.”

“Did it...heal you? That quickly?”

“‘S kind of the point.”

“That’s amazing,” Riolu breathes. “That’s definitely some kind of magic.”

“It’s not ‘magic,’” Tobias growls, shooting her an annoyed glare. “Now shut up so I can listen. We need to find the stairs, and the more ferals we can avoid the better since you won’t fight.”

Riolu swallows back her wave of questions and nods, looking around nervously at the dungeon walls. After being in a battle herself, she’s not in any hurry to start another one. Luckily, between her silence and Tobias’ caution, the two of them avoid the nearby ferals and make it to the next set of stairs without any issue. This time, when they reach the top of the steps and teleport, it’s clear that something’s different, though Riolu can’t pin down exactly what.

“We’re out,” Tobias sighs, slumping with relief.

Riolu blinks, looking around herself. It takes a moment to be sure, but yes, the forest around them is normal again, no more strange dungeon walls. Instead, she can actually see into the forest beyond the ferns and foliage in front of her, and the ground is more uneven and somehow more natural underfoot.

“S-So where do we go now?” Riolu asks, nervous. Tobias won’t ditch her just because they’re out of the dungeon, right? She still has no idea where she is or what to do next.

“We find Maggie before she loses her petals,” he grumbles.

That’s when Riolu hears a distant voice shouting. It’s feminine, and after she turns her head and strains her ears, she thinks she can make out Tobias’ name.

“I...I think I hear her? Maybe?”

Tobias gives her a skeptical look, but his eyes follow her gaze before he moves to march deeper into the forest. Riolu hurries after him, and within minutes it’s clear that she was right. A woman is calling for Tobias, sounding worried.

“Tobias? Tobias!”

Riolu stops as they arrive at the edge of a clearing—maybe the same one she woke up in, even. There’s a lime green dinosaur standing in the middle of the field, with bright pink petals wreathing her neck like a mane. The creature is tall, noticeably much taller than her or Tobias even from a distance, with a long, slender neck. A large satchel, clearly made to rest on either side of her broad back, is stuffed to bursting with plants.

“Maggie’s a dinosaur,” Riolu says, shocked enough that her tone loops back around to flat. “Of course she’s a dinosaur.”

“She’s a meganium,” Tobias corrects. He huffs out a breath and moves forward with his hands cupped around his mouth. “‘M right here, Maggie!”

Maggie whips around, and even from a distance Riolu can see the dinosaur’s pinched expression smooth out to aching relief. She bustles towards them, and Tobias moves to meet her in the middle while Riolu stays behind at the treeline. As Maggie gets closer, Riolu can see the creature is oddly beautiful, with large, honey-warm eyes and the slightest of wrinkles lining her face.

“Are you all right?” Maggie asks immediately, voice almost motherly as she cranes her neck down to get a good look at Tobias. To Riolu’s surprise, a pair of vines slip out from under the dinosaur’s flower to better tilt Tobias’ head and lift his arms for inspection.

“I’m fine!” Tobias says, pulling away from her. He sounds embarrassed.

Maggie matches his fiery tone, leaning back to give him a gentle bop to the head with her vine. “Good! Don’t scare me like that. I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“Because the forest is suddenly _so_ dangerous.”

“No, but it’s unlike you to wander off like that and not answer me.” Maggie sighs. “I was afraid something had happened.”

“Well _this_ idiot got us dragged into a dungeon if that counts,” Tobias growls, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

Maggie looks alarmed all over again, eyes making a quick sweep over Tobias, but then they follow his movement to where Riolu is hidden in the shade.

“Oh,” Maggie says, voice soft. She takes a tentative step forward. “Hello there, dear. Are you all right?”

Riolu should probably be more wary of this stranger who could crush her with a single step, but something about that warm concern being pointed at _her_ makes her eyes water. Riolu swallows hard and steps forward. “U-Um. Yeah. Sorry, it was my fault we got stuck in the um. Dungeon.”

Maggie’s gaze flits over her too, and then she gives her a warm, comforting smile. “Well, it looks like no harm done. I don’t believe I’ve seen you around before.”

Riolu laughs, nervously. “Uh, no, I-I’m not from...around here.”

“Fen needs to check her for a head injury,” Tobias scoffs. “She keeps saying she used to be human.”

“I am!” Riolu argues, stung by his disbelief. “Or I w-was, at least.”

Maggie stares at Riolu with wide eyes, something about her expression looking almost stricken. Before Riolu can panic about it, the dinosaur quickly blinks it away. “You’re...a human?”

Riolu nods, desperately hoping Maggie will believe her. “I know I don’t look like it now, but I am! I don’t know how I got here or where here even is but...”

The meganium’s face softens. “Do you remember your name?”

Riolu swallows back another wave of sorrow at the loss of memory sitting like an open wound in her mind. She shakes her head, blinking hard. “N-No. Tobias said I’m a riolu? So...”

“Wait. Maggie, you aren’t saying you believe her?” Tobias interrupts, clearly incredulous.

“I certainly am,” Maggie scolds. “Do you have a reason not to?”

Tobias throws up his arms. “Aside from the fact that I’m not an idiot?!”

Maggie sighs. “Tobias, we’ll discuss this later. Right now all that matters is that we make sure she’s all right.”

Tobias huffs out a wisp of smoke before stalking a few feet away and pointedly plopping himself down with his back turned. It would be funny if Riolu wasn’t such a mess.

Maggie gives Riolu an apologetic look. “Don’t worry about him. He takes a while to warm up to you.”

“I’m still here, y’know!”

Maggie ignores the comment. “Did he explain anything to you about this world?”

Riolu blinks up at the dinosaur. “U-Um. A little? He said you guys are...Po...Poke...”

“Pokémon.”

“Yeah.” Riolu gives her a grateful smile. “And that there are dungeons and...types?”

Maggie laughs softly. “Don’t worry about getting it all figured out right away. You’ll catch on quickly enough. I’m guessing you don’t have anywhere to go, if you’re from the human world?”

Riolu slumps, looking down at her feet. Her paws? “No.”

“In that case, how about returning to the guild with Tobias and I?”

Riolu’s head snaps up. “What?”

“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” Maggie says. “But I’d at least like you to get a health check-up and have some food. We have a place for you to rest for the night, and resources about the Pokémon world as well, if you’re interested.”

Riolu tears up again. “That would be great. Thank you.”

Maggie smiles, warm and open. “Of course, dear.” She turns to call to Tobias. “You coming too, stormcloud?”

Tobias pushes off the ground and walks by without looking at either of them, arms crossed and grumbling all the way. Riolu shoots Maggie a nervous look, but the dinosaur just looks fond of the prickly behavior.

“Come along then,” Maggie says, moving to follow Tobias into the forest. Riolu hurries after them, keeping close to Maggie.

As they enter the trees, Riolu takes a moment to once again look around, calmed by the tall trunks and endless maze of foliage painted with dappled sunlight. She isn’t sure, but she thinks some of the plants look...familiar? Like maybe they‘re the same, or at least similar, to what she’s used to. Everything feels a bit...tall, though. Like Riolu is smaller than she’s used to being in her own skin. It’s strange.

Even more than that are the sounds and smells. Once again familiar—the rustling of leaves and distant birdsong, the smell of fresh air and nature—but everything feels a bit...sharper. More distinct, and almost a little overwhelming. She felt ears on her head earlier, and she has dog legs, so she guesses she’s basically in a dog body? Maybe that means she has a better sense of smell and hearing too. That’s pretty cool, at least. Like a superpower!

“You aren’t the first human to pop up in the Haven, you know,” Maggie says eventually. Riolu jumps at the sudden sound.

“R-Really?”

“Mhm.” Maggie’s gaze lifts up to the trees, a sad smile gracing her face. “I was quite close with one, actually.”

Tobias looks sharply over his shoulder, brow furrowed. Riolu blinks, excitement and hope curling like a tiny flame in her chest. “Was? Did they get back to the human world?”

Maggie’s expression drops. “No...unfortunately not.” She turns her head to give Riolu a soothing smile. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way!”

“Haven’t ‘humans’ been showing up for decades now?” Tobias mutters, turning forwards again. “You’d think if there was a way back they would have found it by now.”

Riolu’s heart drops. Decades?!

Maggie frowns. “Well…yes, but with more and more humans showing up, surely together they’ll find a solution sooner or later.” Maggie ruffles her petals and gives Riolu a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, dear. One thing at a time! Humans like you are certainly a rarity, but not unheard of. You aren’t alone.”

Riolu tries to smile back instead of breaking down crying. She doesn’t even know how to feel. She’s relieved, of course, that there are others like her, that this isn’t the first time this has happened to someone. And that she ran into someone as kind as Maggie. But she also can’t get rid of the blooming fear at the thought that she could be stuck here for _years_ until someone figures out how to get back to the human world. She doesn’t remember her life as a human, but there’s an ache building in her chest when she thinks of it, a longing for something or someone she doesn’t remember but already knows she misses.

She needs to get back home.

“Sure, you aren’t alone,” Tobias chuckles, breaking Riolu out of her thoughts. “But no one likes the humans either.”

“Tobias!” Maggie snaps. “Even if you haven’t met a human before, you know that isn’t true. Most of them have settled here just fine.”

“Yeah, but no one trusts them anymore, either,” Tobias says, turning to give Riolu a cold look. “Not since everything really started falling apart.”

Riolu’s shock elevates into real fear when Maggie doesn’t immediately respond, looking conflicted. The dinosaur sighs, a vine slipping out from her petals to touch lightly at Riolu’s back. It feels almost protective.

“Unfortunately,” she says, “He...does have a point. I suppose it’s only right that I warn you now. There have been some...unfortunate things happening in our world over the last few decades. And some have accused the increase in humans of being the cause.” 

Riolu swallows hard, wide-eyed. Maggie‘s vine moves up to settle comfortingly over Riolu’s shoulders.

“Fortunately, most of us at the Haven have enough sense to realize how ridiculous that is,” Maggie soothes. “You shouldn’t have any issues around here, but you should be aware, especially if you end up traveling away from the Haven.”

Riolu forces herself to nod and breathe, beating her panic back with the mental equivalent of a baseball bat.

Maggie squeezes her shoulders with the vine. “Of course, we will help you any way we can, even if no one is entirely sure of how this transformation happens to humans, or why. But until you decide what to do next, the guild should be a safe place for you to stay.” 

Riolu blinks back tears and tries to collect herself. She can sort through her emotions and thoughts later. For now, she should learn everything she can about this world, and about what she has become. “S-So we’re going to this...guild?“

“Ooh, careful Maggie, she’s a sharp one!”

Maggie sighs. “Tobias, be nice.”

Tobias barks a laugh. “When am I ever nice?”

Maggie’s vine leaves Riolu’s shoulder to reach forward and pull Tobias back against her leg. She cranes her neck down so she can nuzzle him. “You’re sweeter than you let on.”

Tobias yells, embarrassed, trying to push her away as his cheeks flush red. Riolu can’t help smiling. It feels good to smile. When Tobias frees himself and stomps forward again, Maggie and Riolu follow.

“To answer your question,” Maggie says, “The Lexym Guild is where Tobias and I live and work. Considering it’s housed in a tree many stories high it’s usually easy to spot. When the leaves are less full, you can see it in the forest from miles around. It’s a wonderful place. Busy, but the Pokémon are lovely.”

“‘Lovely’ my tail,” Tobias grumbles.

“On a wider scale,” Maggie goes on, ignoring Tobias, “The forest we’re in is called Bethoc’s Haven, named after the same eldegoss who founded our branch of the guild. The territory spans half of the forestland on this edge of the continent, with the Lexym Guild at its heart.”

Riolu nods, confused but trying to look like she understands. Bethoc the…eldegoss? A Pokemon, she guesses. She wonders what kind of creature that is and if she’ll see one herself. 

“Many of the Pokémon at the guild are types acclimated to the forest environment,” Maggie continues. “Grass types like myself, as well as bug types. But thanks to the Seekers division, we have quite a variety of other types wandering around as well! No other riolu, unfortunately. Having an aura expert around would be ideal for you.”

Riolu peers up at Maggie’s face. “Aura?”

Maggie chuckles. “And there I go, already forgetting your situation. Aura is a kind of...energy. If I’m remembering correctly, then with a little practice your species can harness it to do amazing things. I remember it being rather important for young riolu to learn to control their own aura.”

Riolu looks down at her hands again, hardly able to believe that _she_ could use a power like _that._ “What does aura do?”

Maggie hums and looks up into the trees. “You know, that I’m not quite sure of. I know it’s related to your emotions, and that it can be used in battle. I think you’ll have to ask Alastair or Tawny about that down in the archives.”

Riolu perks up. Archives? “Like a library?”

Maggie must see the enthusiasm on her face, because she laughs. “Yes, exactly. We have quite the collection of texts at the guild. As long as August is all right with us housing you then you can peruse them all you like.”

“Like August would turn anyone away,” Tobias says. Riolu can’t decide whether the lizard is saying it as a positive thing or not.

Maggie smiles, looking down at Riolu with a twinkle in her eye. “August seems scary at first, but he has a soft heart. He’s the guild’s leader, so you’ll meet him today.”

Riolu nods, nervously twisting her fingers together as Maggie and Tobias guide her deeper into the woods. They don’t seem to be following any path that the riolu can see, but they lead her confidently, weaving through tree trunks and thickets of plants with ease.

“Almost there, dear,” Maggie says eventually.

Riolu blinks, looking around for...something. Maggie said the guild was housed in a tree, but is it literally just a tree, or will there be like...structures built onto it? Like a treehouse? So far they—Pokemon—seem as intelligent as humans, but she doesn’t want to assume anything either.

It’s not much longer before their group stops by a tree, its roots twisted and arched above the dirt and creating a small space underneath. Is this…the guild? It doesn’t look like there’s anything here. Just a hollow and some dirt.

“Guild members Magnolia the meganium and Tobias the charmander returning,” Maggie announces.

For a moment, nothing happens. Then, the ground under the roots bulges, and the top of a flat, hippo-like head emerges from the crumbling dirt as if it were as thin as water. Riolu can’t help stepping back behind Maggie’s leg, wide-eyed. It’s huge! And hippos are really dangerous, right?

The creature blinks red eyes at the group, then lifts its head further and smiles with blocky teeth. “Maggie! How was the haul today?”

Riolu is surprised to hear the voice is deep but friendly.

“Hello, Abana. We found plenty of the herbs we were running low on! And we brought back a little something extra.” Maggie shifts her leg to reveal Riolu, still cowering.

Abana’s nostrils flare with interest. “Oh! And who’s this little thing?”

“A human,” Tobias says, in a mocking tone. Riolu winces. She isn’t surprised by now that he doesn’t believe her, but still. Ouch.

Abana’s tiny ears perk up. “Oh? Well that’ll be sure to shake up the guild. Come on in, scrap, I won’t bite.”

Riolu swallows, unconvinced, but Tobias moves first. He slips under the roots and steps up onto the hippo’s gray head. Maggie ducks and follows him in, crouching to the side of Abana and urging Riolu forward with an encouraging smile. Riolu hesitantly steps after them, joining Tobias on top of Abana’s wide head. She feels rude literally stepping on someone, but if that’s what she’s supposed to do…

“All set up there?”

“Looks like it,” Maggie says.

“Then down we go!” Abana crows.

Before Riolu can ask exactly what is about to happen, they drop into the earth. She screams at the top of her lungs, squeezing her eyes shut and scrambling to cling to the first solid warmth she can find. The sound of earth rushing up around them is deafening, and Riolu gets the distinct feeling that her stomach is flipping like she’s on a rollercoaster.

This is how she dies, on the back of a magic hippo.

But then they’re slowing and coming to a stop, and Tobias’ voice is sharp in her ear. “Get off!”

Riolu peeks her eyes open, and all she can see is orange. She leans back, and realizes that the warmth she’d ducked into was Tobias’ shoulder. “O-Oh! Sorry!” 

He gives her a cross look and turns away.

Wait. Riolu realizes she can see. Underground. She turns to look around, marveling at their new location. “Oh...wow.”

They’re in some sort of underground tunnel, ceiling of earth closing up from where they must have come barreling down. Roots and traces of leaves are everywhere, intertwined within the rocky walls, and patches of surprisingly lush grass dot the ground here and there. Most impressive of all are the light sources—bright blue-green cuts of crystal, some as small as coins and some as large as her. They’re everywhere, jutting up out of the ground and imbedded in the walls, glowing bright and beautiful. Even the leaves look luminescent, like some kind of fantasy movie!

“Is this the guild?” Riolu asks, turning to see Maggie finishing up a quiet conversation with Abana. The hippo nods to Maggie and winks at Riolu before digging into the wall as easily as if it were melted butter. The rocky wall closes up behind her, surprisingly stable.

Maggie walks over, no longer having to duck in the spacious tunnel. “In a way. The guild is one central area, mostly within the trunk of the Lexym Tree, but there are many entrances to reach it. Quite a few are tunnels like this, branching out under the forest.”

This is just a tunnel _into_ the guild? Riolu knows that Maggie mentioned how huge the guild is, how it can be easily spotted from miles and miles away even amidst the other trees of the forest, but it’s still hard to imagine.

“This is amazing,” Riolu whispers, feeling like she should be quiet in such a magical space.

Maggie smiles. “It is, isn’t it? Sometimes we forget, with how used to it we are.”

“You know what really sounds magical?” Tobias grunts. “Food.”

“Agreed,” Maggie laughs. “We’d better get moving then, so we don’t miss out on the good choices!” She turns and heads down the tunnel, Tobias following. Riolu hurries to catch up, feeling her curiosity begin to override her unease.

Well...While she’s here, she may as well try to enjoy it, right?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobias is tasked with helping Riolu settle in at the guild when all he wants is for her to leave him alone. This should go well.

Tobias is entirely done with today. First, he has to deal with some emotional wreck of a Pokémon showing up, dragging him into a dungeon, and claiming to be human of all things, and now...

“You can’t be serious, Maggie.”

“You know I am, Tobias.”

“I am not _babysitting_ , Maggie!” Tobias sends a glare over his shoulder, at the riolu nervously trailing the two of them down the tunnels. 

“It’s not babysitting, Tobias. Be kind to our guest,” Maggie says, a warning in her tone.

He growls under his breath, kneading at his herb satchel with his claws. He can’t believe this. He has much better things to do than lead around a crybaby Pokemon with supposed “amnesia.” He got the riolu out of the dungeon safely—no thanks to _her._ Hasn’t he done enough?

“All I’m asking is you get the poor thing checked by Fen and show her to the cafeteria. You said you were hungry.”

“I guess,” Tobias grumbles, rolling his eyes as he hears the riolu trip over a crystal. Arceus, she’s hopeless.

Their group rounds the last bend in the tunnels, the brighter light of the guild’s inner chambers almost harsh in comparison to the soft glow of the underground. They emerge into the open space, and Tobias glances at the riolu to see her looking around, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

There are countless Seekers, Gatherers, and other Pokémon trailing in and out of the many entrances circling the huge chambers, going about their daily business. A few do a double-take at the unfamiliar riolu. Maggie leads them through the crowd and past the directory boards, to one of the two staircases winding up the sides of the tree and to the upper floors.

“We’ll give you a proper tour later on,” Maggie says to the riolu, who looks overwhelmed by all of the activity, nose twitching like she can’t quite handle all of the new scents. “For now, we’re just going to make sure you’re healthy, get you fed, and let August know about your situation. As he’s the head of the guild, we report important news to him or Verene.”

The riolu nods, not looking any more reassured as they climb the root-twisted stairs. They pass by a number of floors—the preparations level and the food storage, by two of the training floors and the cafeteria, right past documentation, archives and one of the living quarters floors, and more. Finally, they reach the medical floor, and turn to follow the hallway further out from the Lexym Tree’s trunk.

They pass by a few openings to the outside, lattice-like roots and ivy covering the gaps just enough to let in plenty of sunlight. The riolu takes a sniff of the fresh air, peeking through to look at the blue sky and sea of treetops. She’s even more starry-eyed than earlier, head swiveling left then right to take everything in as they pass by one of the infirmaries. Tobias huffs out an irritated breath of smoke.

“We have many gifted grass type Pokémon here,” Maggie explains, watching the riolu’s awe. “They upkeep the architecture of the Tree created by Pokémon of the past, and restructure the guild as needed with fresh plant life.”

“That’s amazing,” Riolu breathes.

Maggie smiles. “I’m happy you like it. It’s a wonderful place to live.”

_Wonderful_ is stretching it a bit, Tobias thinks.

They stop in front of he and Maggie’s quarters, and Maggie turns to the both of them. “Now, I have to organize the herbs and double-check the stocks. Tobias, I’m trusting you to do as I asked. I’ll meet up with you in August’s quarters.” Tobias opens his mouth to argue, but Maggie gives him a gentle bop to the snout with her vine. “That’s an order as your superior. Think of it as an exercise in patience.”

She turns to Riolu, who is doing a terrible job of hiding her unease. “Tobias will take care of you. I’ll see you again soon, okay? Keep your chin up. Everyone here is very kind and will help you if you need assistance.”

The riolu’s ears pin against her head, tail tucking under her legs, but to her credit she only nods, whispering, “Thank you.”

Maggie gives Tobias one more stern look before turning to go into their quarters, scooping Tobias’ satchel off his shoulder on the way.

Then it’s just the two of them.

Riolu shifts, eyes on her paws, on the walls, anywhere but him. Tobias sighs, fresh anger sparking in his gut. Something about the riolu just irritates him, her ridiculous claim of being _human_ aside.

“Well. Come on. Maggie’ll make me clean until my scales fall off if I just dump you here.” He turns towards Fen’s quarters, navigating the complex path by memory and not bothering to see if his unwanted tagalong is following. When he reaches the familiar doorway, he knocks on the root frame.

“Come in!”

Tobias steps inside, nodding at Fen in greeting. The leafeon is tidying up some medical supplies on the shelves lining the back of the room, but they glance back at him with warm brown eyes and a sweet smile. “Tobias! Good to see you. What do you need?”

Normally the leafeon’s calm presence is enough to relax Tobias. Today, he just steps aside, presenting the riolu with a lackluster wave of his hand. “She needs a check-up. Maggie told me to bring her here.”

Fen stops moving jars and tools around, stepping over to the riolu and bowing their head in greeting. “You’re a new face! Nice to meet you. I’m Fen.”

Riolu hesitates before giving the stiffest and most awkward bow he’s ever seen. She almost knocks herself over. “Uh, nice to meet you! I-I’m, uh...” she trails off, shooting Tobias a helpless glance, and he rolls his eyes.

“Riolu.”

“Y-Yeah. Uh, that.”

Fen looks more than a little concerned about Riolu forgetting the name of her own species, but smiles back all the same. “So why do we need a check-up today?”

Riolu looks to Tobias. He snorts, crossing his arms. “Your story, you tell ‘em.”

Riolu winces. “Uh, I’m…I’m kind of lost? I j-just woke up here like this, and Tobias and Maggie found me. I can’t remember anything. Or, uh, not much, at least. I know I was a human, b-but that’s about it.”

Fen’s leafy ears prick with curiosity, probably at the prospect of having a former “human” as a patient, but they quickly nod and step back into professionalism. “Basic check-up, then. Step over here and I’ll start with some questions, okay?”

Riolu does as asked, answering Fen as they run their paws over different parts of her body, assuring that nothing seems injured or out of place. They have the riolu flex and extend her arms and legs, and asks that she flick her ears and tail ( _that_ takes her more than a few tries). Tobias takes a seat against the wall and half pays attention, noting that Riolu keeps taking deep breaths of air through her nose. Probably due to the sweet, soothing scent that always follows Fen around.

Next, Fen tests Riolu’s sight and hearing, whistling near either side of the riolu’s head and watching her ears twitch in response. Finally, Fen sits back with a smile. “Healthy as a horsea! Former human or not, you’re a perfectly normal riolu now. Aside from your lost memory, is anything else bothering you?”

Riolu hesitates, but then shakes her head. “I-I don’t think so? I, uh, I keep getting distracted by…smells? But I guess that’s because I’m like a dog now?”

Fen doesn’t react to the foreign word ( _dog?_ ), and just nods. “If your sense of smell was different as a human, it’ll take a few days to adapt to your new nose. Riolu are great trackers.” The leafeon turns and shuffles through some paperwork on their small desk, probably looking to set up a new reference document for Riolu. “I suppose I should’ve expected as much. I’ve looked into cases of transformed humans before, and other than the cases where they appear in dangerous areas, they’ve all been found in great condition. Just confused about what they are and how to control their bodies.”

“So we’re done?” Tobias cuts in. “She's good? We can go?”

Fen shoots him a warning look that’s too amused to be stern, and then dips a claw in their well of ink, bending over a sheet of paper to scratch down information. “Allllllmost. Any allergies you can recall, Riolu?”

“Um, no, I don’t think so?”

“Pronouns?”

That one catches Riolu off-guard, but after an awkward beat of silence she answers, “Uh, she and her?”

“And do you have a given name you’d like on your records?”

Riolu stiffens, ears pinning back. “…N-No. Not yet.”

Fen shoots the riolu a sympathetic smile before finishing up the form. They tuck it somewhere in their elaborate filing system, and then pad closer to Riolu with their tail flicking. Tobias recognizes the tic—Fen’s worried but trying to hide it. 

“There is one… _concern_ I feel I should warn you about,” The leafeon says. “I haven’t been able to find much research about it, but it’s pretty well-known in medical circles that Pokémon from the human world are especially vulnerable to illness. Even a common cold for a native Pokemon could wreak havoc on your body if you were to catch it. It can become…well, not to scare you, but fairly serious.”

Riolu’s entire posture screams fear, and even Tobias sits up to listen. He’s a medical Pokemon, too, even if his specialty is in herbs, and he’s never heard about this. Granted, he’s never paid much attention to accounts of “former humans,” but still.

“We think it’s related to not experiencing illnesses specific to the Pokemon world when you were young, and your new body being less prepared to fight them off.”

“Y-Yeah, that would make sense,” Riolu rasps absently.

Fen leans forward, some of their well-hidden curiosity bleeding through. “Oh?”

Riolu shrinks away at their renewed attention. “W-Well, that happened sometimes in the human world, too. I-I think. If someone didn’t, uh, get sick when they were little or get vaccinated, then it could be super dangerous if they got a common sickness when they were an adult. R-Right?”

“Right,” Fen murmurs. They still look like they’re a whisker away from grilling the riolu’s knowledge on the topic, but they visibly reign themself in. “Sorry. I just wanted to let you know so that if you ever feel sickness coming on, you let me or Maggie know immediately. Okay?”

Riolu murmurs a quiet agreement.

Fen pads back to their desk, mumbling to themself as they write something else down. Riolu shoots Tobias a scared, pleading look, and he raises a brow in return. What’s he supposed to do? He doesn’t know anything more than Fen does.

“I’ll talk it over with Maggie,” Fen announces after a tense few moments, giving the riolu a reassuring smile. “For now, don’t worry unless you begin showing signs of sickness—coughing, fever, chills, pain, anything of the sort.”

Riolu nods.

“Then you’re good to go!” Fen chirps, only a little forced after the seriousness of the previous topic. “I don’t have anything to help with amnesia, I’m afraid. If your memories return, they can only be retrieved with time.”

“Thanks, Fen,” Tobias says, pushing off the wall and walking to the door.

“Oh! One more thing,” Fen says, stopping them. “While I know a little bit about humans, I’m sure Alistair and Tawny could give you more answers on the archive floor. Knowing them, they’d be thrilled to help you out.”

Riolu gives Fen a grateful smile as she follows Tobias out of the room, and the charmander wastes no time in heading down the hall.

“I’m getting food,” he grumbles over his shoulder. “Come if you want.”

The riolu scrambles after him, and they walk in an uncomfortable silence, down the halls and out of the medical area. Tobias knows it’s irrational, but he feels more annoyed with every step he takes, sensing Riolu trailing _way_ too closely behind him. Yeah, whatever, the riolu is lost or something, but by Heatran’s flames he did not sign up for this! She could at least give him some space.

They go down the stairs a few flights until they hit the cafeteria floor, stepping into the bright open area. The air is filled with delicious smells and the chatter of Pokémon crowded around long wooden tables. They pass by them, Riolu looking at their trays of food curiously, and at the Pokémon themselves with even more interest. Tobias can practically see her biting back her questions.

He gets into one of the lines and grabs a wooden tray, holding back a sharp remark when Riolu tentatively steps into line behind him like his own personal shadow. He puts a few berries and a bowl of stew on his tray, grabbing a spoon and sitting down at an empty table. He feels the irritated fire in his belly grow when Riolu sits down across from him.

Tobias focuses on his food and takes a few bites, eventually glancing up at Riolu to see that she’s just poking at her meal. She uses her spoon to lift up a spoonful of stew, sniffing it suspiciously and crinkling her nose.

“What, you never had soup before?”

Riolu jumps. “O-Oh, uh. No, I have. Just. Wh-What kind of soup is this, exactly?”

“Cheri berry.”

“Oh! I know cherries!” Riolu says, looking eager. She tries a big bite of the soup, then gags and spits the mouthful back into her bowl. Tobias is about to snap at her for wasting food when she mumbles, “I don’t think that’s how cherries used to taste to me.”

“Tastes fine to me,” He snips, slurping up a loud spoonful.

Riolu licks at her lips, shuddering. “What…What do your cherries look like?”

Tobias frowns and picks through his berries, scooping out a cheri berry to show her. Perfectly ripe, orangey-red with a curly, lime green stem.

Her expression clears into realization. “Oh. That’s…different than the cherries I’m used to. Ours are more red, and the stem is darker.”

“Fascinating.” Tobias rolls his eyes and goes back to his food.

Unfortunately, he only gets a few seconds of blessed silence, and then the riolu speaks up again. “I-I’m uh…sorry about getting us stuck in the dungeon earlier. Thank you, for helping me get out.”

“It’s not like you were getting out of there on your own,” Tobias mumbles, stabbing at his soup. He doesn’t want to see anyone die—even annoying, delusional strangers. He just wishes this particular annoying, delusional stranger would leave him alone.

Riolu doesn’t seem to know how to respond, and returns to picking at her soup. From there, the meal is quiet but awkward, with the Riolu periodically glancing up at Tobias as if hoping he’ll start a conversation, which he dutifully ignores. When they’re done and Tobias feels marginally less peeved about the whole situation on a full stomach, they head up the trunk of the giant tree. August is situated on the top floor of the guild, among the highest branches of the structure. As they ascend through the floors, the sunlight grows stronger, the rooms and levels brighter, draftier with more openings of fresh air from the many loft points where flying types often come and go. They come to a stop outside of August’s quarters, a chamber closed tight with reinforced walls of vine and stone. Tobias knocks on the heavy doors, and the nervous riolu copies his straightened posture.

The door cracks open, and Verene’s big pink eyes peer down at them. Riolu flinches back from the lurantis, but Verene ignores the reaction, opening the door further. “Tobias, Riolu. Come in.”

Tobias does, squashing down the nerves in his chest as he looks around the dim room. He’s not in trouble today. Riolu, however, looks like she might faint as she takes in the sight of August, who is listening to Maggie with a thoughtful hand on his chin. Even Tobias has to admit that the rillaboom is impressive, easily towering over all of them. He’s a bulky Pokemon, his pelt covered in old scars and his leafy mane as untamable as ever. His drum is off to the side, by his desk.

Maggie looks away from the conversation to smile warmly at Riolu. “Glad to see you made it here in one piece.”

Riolu offers her a shaky smile, eyes flicking back to August as he takes a seat in his chair. Verene, his ever-dutiful second-in-command, takes up station at his side, claws crossed politely in front of her.

“Maggie told me about your impromptu adventure today,” August says, not unkindly, eyes moving from Riolu to Tobias and back. Riolu‘s ears flatten at the rillaboom’s deep voice. “I know you both must be tired, but I’m afraid a quick introduction is necessary. As I’m sure Maggie already explained, I’m Augustus, leader of the Lexym Guild. This is my second, Verene. Riolu, if you could be so kind as to recall your situation to me,” he says, not quite a suggestion and not quite a command.

Riolu nods and stammers her way through her story, of waking up in this world with no memories but that of her former existence as a human. About accidentally getting caught up in a dungeon with Tobias, and then meeting Maggie before being led back to the guild.

At the end of it all, August hums a thoughtful noise, exchanging an unreadable look with Maggie. Tobias hates when they do that. “Well, Riolu, your case is a peculiar one, though certainly not unheard of. It’s unfortunate that the once warm welcome offered to humans has in many places been soured by fear.”

“You believe her too?” Tobias can’t help asking, another lick of anger prompting him to speak up. “Just because she said she’s human.”

To Tobias’ surprise, the rillaboom gives a booming laugh, throwing his head back. Riolu skitters back a step, towards Maggie.

“A friend of mine would be dearly upset if I didn’t at least give Riolu the benefit of the doubt,” August says, as if that explains everything. “Besides, Maggie has vouched for Riolu’s sincerity, and I trust her judgment.”

Tobias huffs a small cloud of smoke and shuts his mouth. So apparently _his_ judgement doesn’t matter. Not that he had ever been under the impression that it did.

“Also,” August continues, expression softening at the open fear on Riolu’s face. “I place little value in the blame being cast on humans for our world’s problems. Natural disasters, silence from the gods, evolution itself breaking down…how could lost humans affect such powerful things?”

Riolu is wide-eyed, looking awestruck at the rillaboom’s defense of her situation. Tobias snorts. Everyone thinks August is terrifying until they realize he’s a complete softie.

August leans back in his chair. “I doubt you’ll have any issues here in the Haven, but if you do then let one of us know. I will not hesitate to dole out punishment accordingly for ostracizing a guest for their origins. However, I cannot control the rest of the world. Be cautious if you decide to travel in the future.”

Riolu nods, “Y-Yes sir! Thank you.”

August smiles. “Of course. As for what you will do next...after speaking with Maggie and Verene on the matter, I have decided to offer you a position within the guild. We would simply ask that you assist Maggie and Tobias until you find your proper place here. If you decide to accept, you will be under our protection and have access to any of our resources—including information from our archives and our fellow guild connections.”

Riolu blinks, looking overwhelmed by such a sudden and generous offer. Tobias bites back another sharp objection, gaze flicking between August and Maggie. Both of them are kind, _too_ kind sometimes, but even then this feels like a step too far. She’s just a timid little riolu with a human complex—what’s so special about her?

August smiles wider, sharp fangs peeking out from behind his lips. “You may have time to think it over, of course.”

Riolu opens her mouth, then shoots Maggie a hesitant look. The meganium nods encouragingly. “W-Well…Uh. W-What would my other option be? If I decline to join the guild?”

Augustus rumbles a thoughtful noise, giant hand coming up to stroke at his chin. “Same as any other traveler, I suppose. We would house you as a guest for a week, and then ask that you move on to find your own way outside of the guild.”

There’s a moment of silence as Riolu frowns, looking down at her hands. Tobias sees her flex her fingers, and clench them tight as she thinks. Her gaze flicks up to Maggie again.

“You don’t have to decide right now,” August repeats.

But Riolu shakes her head, straightening up. With a surprising amount of conviction, she says, “No, I…I would like to accept your offer. U-Uh. Please.”

Verene finally cuts in, voice quiet but strong. “You’re sure? We didn’t bring you here to pressure you into an answer.”

Riolu shakes her head. “N-No, I um…I’d like to stay, please.”

No one speaks for a moment. Then, August smiles broadly, rising to his feet with a loud clap of his hands. Riolu winces. “Wonderful! In that case, we offer you a warm welcome into the Lexym Guild.”

Riolu, paws anxiously curled up at her chest, tries to smile.

“If you have any concerns, feel free to let us know. Until you become more comfortable, Maggie and Tobias will show you the ropes of the guild.”

Tobias opens his mouth to protest, but Maggie shoots him a sharp look. He snaps his jaws shut and huffs smoke out of his nostrils. With a quick goodbye and a word of thanks, Maggie leads Tobias and the riolu out of the room. They begin the trek back down to the medical ward, passing through patches of dying sunlight.

“I did not sign up to be this idiot’s mother,” Tobias growls when they’re far enough from August’s quarters.

Riolu shrinks away from his open animosity.

“Tobias,” Maggie sighs, shooting the riolu an apologetic look that makes his blood boil. “I may ask you to help here and there, but you won’t have to be her caretaker. I’m sure Riolu will learn quickly.”

“She’d better,” he grumbles.

There’s a heavy pause, and then Maggie tries to lighten the mood. “Well! At any rate, at least we have the pleasantries out of the way for your guild induction. Did your check-up with Fen go well?”

Riolu hesitates, then nods, and begins detailing her discussion with the leafeon. Tobias tries his hardest to ignore her presence, running his fingers over the lip of his red scarf. Eventually, they reach the medical floor, taking a few hallways outward to the room Tobias and Maggie share.

“This is our quarters,” Maggie says at the doorway, using a vine to gesture to the space filled with lush foliage and herbal supplies sitting in jars, on shelves, peeking out of books and crates, pretty much everywhere. “I primarily care for the medicinal needs of the Pokémon here, and create treatments with the plants that Tobias and I gather.”

She steps inside and gestures to the small side room near her own mossy nest. “That alcove is where Tobias stays. For now, you can share with him.”

Riolu casts a panicked glance in his direction, and he in turn spins to look at Maggie with wide eyes. “What?! No!”

“Yes.” Maggie says, tone hard and with no room for argument. “It’ll only be for a few weeks, Tobias, until she finds her way. You can deal with sharing your sleeping space.”

Tobias glares at the riolu, embers dancing in his throat, and then stalks back to _his_ room, flopping down noisily in his nest. He curls up tight, knowing he won’t get to sleep for a while with the way his heart is roaring loud and angry in his ears. Eventually, Maggie’s soft murmurings and the quiet rustling of hay and moss fill the space. They must be setting up the riolu’s nest next to his.

Tobias refuses to look. He doesn’t care. He just wants her out of here.

When he knows that Maggie has left and he can hear the quiet breaths of Riolu, probably also trying and failing to sleep, he grumbles, “I wish I would’ve just left you in that field.”

He gets no response.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riolu goes to the guild’s archives to figure out what to do next, and maybe find a name for herself along the way.

Riolu has been in the Pokémon world for two days when she decides she needs to pick a name for herself.

After her first stressful day at the guild, she’d spent the second day recuperating. She’d woke up with tears in her eyes and a longing ache in her chest, still surprised by the strange realityof a giant orange lizard sleeping a few feet away from her, his tail flame casting a warm glow in the alcove they now share. Tobias clearly isn’t happy about that arrangement. No matter what Riolu does or says, he seems determined to hate her. So on the second day, she avoids him as much as possible, staying quiet when he’s in the room and trying not to feel hurt as he dutifully ignores her in turn, going about his business like there’s a rain cloud over his head.

Instead, she’d spent most of the afternoon hanging around Maggie’s office, still feeling too out of her element to explore, as much as she wanted to. She focused instead on becoming accustomed to her new body, trying to keep her mind off of the painful gap in her memory. She’d practiced moving her ears and tail voluntarily, and batted experimentally at the tear-drop shaped appendages on either side of her head. She tried to let her nose adjust naturally to the unusually strong scents of well, _everything_ —from Maggie’s soft lavender smell to Tobias’ scent, sort of like sun-baked concrete—but she still had to poke her head out the room’s windows a few times when the overwhelming tang of herbs made her nauseous. Maggie worked in the quarters most of the day, talking to her in encouraging tones and leaving only to pick up food. By time night fell and the quarters were lit only by the moon, Tobias’ tail, and a few of the crystals from the underground caves sitting in a jar on Maggie’s desk, Riolu had been ready to collapse into sleep again, still exhausted.

Today, she’s determined to stop hiding away and to actually accomplish something. She’s going to become a part of this guild while she figures out how to get back home, so why not start by picking out a name? She doesn’t really like being called “Riolu” when she knows it’s just her species’ name. What if another riolu shows up and then everything gets confusing? She’s determined today to leave the safety of the herbs room and find the archive floor to look up information, and maybe some name inspiration.

If she can find the place, that is.

The guild doesn’t have that confusing of a layout seeing as it’s built within a giant _tree_ , but she quickly realizes that she has a _terrible_ sense of direction. That would’ve been great to remember _before_ she wandered off on her own. She walks down one of the staircases circling the tree, and has already poked her head into a training floor, a cafeteria, and some sort of administrative-looking floor? Every time she does, she’s fascinated by the Pokémon she sees.

A drooling, sleepy-eyed Pokemon with a red flower on its head gives off such a sharp scent that Riolu gags and stumbles back into the staircase. A fierce, bipedal cat-like Pokemon with claws rivaling Wolverine’s and a streak of red jagging through its white fur gives her a casual nod. A small, slimy purple ball of a Pokemon trails by one of the doorways, antennae twitching and green cheeks lifting into a friendly smile. A brown fox creature with a build similar to Fen trots past with a satchel like Maggie’s thrown over its back. They’re all solid and real as can be and, frankly, it’s a little overwhelming. Riolu’s still half-convinced she’s dreaming. When she squeezes past a mass of blue vines wearing adorable red boots on the stairs, she tries not to gawk.

...And in doing so, trips over a trailing vine, rolling forward and down a few of the steps. Okay, _this_ is how she dies, tumbling down a giant tree staircase.

“Oof!” She jolts to a stop as she rolls into something soft but solid. Dizzy and feeling bruises blooming under her skin, Riolu lifts her head to see a large...cat? Lion? Looking down at her worriedly. They have blue face fur framed by a mane of black, and when they gently roll her away from them and into a sitting position, she sees they have stripes of gold on their forearms.

“You okay? That was quite a fall,” the Pokemon says, a friendly smile playing at his muzzle. Riolu’s surprised to realize that human or Pokémon, an attractive voice from a guy probably somewhere around her age remains equally flustering. Is that weird? It’s probably weird.

“Y-Yeah,” Riolu says, sheepishly rubbing at her elbow. “I’m really sorry for, uh, rolling into you.”

“It’s no problem. Happy to help,” the lion says, sitting down on the step below her and still managing to reach her height. A tail tipped with a star-shaped tuft wraps around his paws. “The stairs can be brutal if you aren’t used to them. You new here?”

“In more ways than one,” Riolu replies, relaxing at the easy conversation. “I’m, uh...Riolu.“

The lion’s ears perk up. “Would you happen to be the human staying with Maggie?”

Oh man. How many Pokémon around here know about her?

“That’s me,” she says weakly, shrugging.

“No wonder you’re falling down steps. You probably aren’t used to your body yet, huh?”

“You believe me?” Riolu asks, surprised. With the suspicious way Tobias eyes her every time she mentions something about being human and the warning she’d gotten from both Maggie and August, she’d figured she’d have more push-back than this.

“Of course. If you say you were human, I have no reason to believe otherwise.”

Riolu smiles gratefully, immediately deciding she likes this Pokemon. He seems nice.

“Oh! Sorry, I’m Xander,” the lion says, offering a small bow of his head. “A luxio.”

“I wish every Pokémon would introduce themselves like that,” Riolu says, voice light. It would certainly make learning the different species easier.

Xander laughs. “Where are you off to anyways?”

“W-Well, I was trying to find the archives, but...”

Xander’s eyes flick behind her. “You don’t have anyone to help you around?”

Tobias is _supposed_ to be guiding her through the guild’s many ins and outs today, but he made it more than clear that he wants nothing to do with her. This morning when she woke up, he was already gone. She didn’t bring it up to Maggie because she didn’t want to get the charmander in trouble. He clearly dislikes her enough already.

“W-Well, uh, sort of,” she says. “But I thought I could find it on my own?”

Xander purrs a quiet laugh. “Independent type, huh? Well, I have time to take you there. Come on.”

Riolu jumps to follow him as he turns and makes his way back down the stairs. “A-Are you sure? I don’t want to bother you.”

“It’s really no problem. We’re actually pretty close.”

They travel two more flights down, chatting amiably, before Xander stops and turns inward to a new floor. Like a magnificent library, this level appears to be an organized labyrinth of tall shelves, filled to the brim with books and documents. It’s hard to tell where the room ends, and it looks like it might even wrap all the way around the tree’s trunk.

“Wow,” Riolu breathes, having only caught a glimpse of the space when she’d first entered the guild. 

“Like it? We have a pretty nice collection,” Xander says, looking proud. He nods past her, and she turns to see what looks like a front desk area. Behind it sits a willlowy, almost humanoid green and white Pokémon, along with a tiny, fairy-like bug wearing a brown scarf. The two of them are in quiet discussion together.

“The tall one is Alistair, a gardevoir,” Xander whispers. “The little one is Tawny, a ribombee. They’ll help you out if you need to find anything in particular.”

“Thank you so much. Really.”

“It’s no problem! I’ll see you around, okay? No more falling down staircases.”

Riolu laughs and waves goodbye as Xander turns to head back up the tree. She hopes she sees him again.

Then, she gets to work.

With the help of Alistair and Tawny (who argue only briefly about what “critical texts” she should read as a human before Riolu tentatively asks for some children’s-level legends or fairytales), she ends up at one of the tables made for Pokemon around her size, although she still has to kneel in her chair to not have to peer over the edge of the table. A huge stack of texts sit on the table at her side. She chuckles when she realizes that some of the books are almost too big for her to handle, and others too small to comfortably read without squinting. Guess the range of Pokemon sizes make a “standard” book size a bit hard to pin down. She takes a moment to admire the table, too, growing as a tangle of roots straight up from the floor and with bioluminescent leaves adding some extra lighting to the sunlight already pouring in from the nearby window.

Then, she focuses, picking through the books and finding the one Tawny had told her was a book of common Pokemon legends. Not the most academic angle to take, but she’d like to ease herself in with something like a story. She flips to the first page and furrows her brows as she realizes that...this is not English. In fact, it doesn’t look like any language she’s ever seen, all rune-like shapes. Wingdings comes to mind, funny enough.

So why can she read it?

Feeling some sort of self-doubting panic settle over her ( _Oh my God what if she’s wrong, what if she’s not actually human?_ ), she realizes that she’s also been speaking with and understanding all of the Pokémon she’s met so far. There’s no logical way they’re speaking English. Maybe she’s a fraud. An accidental fraud? Is that a thing? Maybe she really is dreaming, or—or she’s in a coma, or—

“Okay, deep breaths, hold on,” Riolu mumbles, trying to calm down her spiraling thoughts. So far no one has mentioned it being odd that she can speak the language here—so maybe it’s normal for people, uh, Pokemon like her? Heck, maybe one of the books would tell her something. Otherwise she could talk to Maggie or Fen about it later instead of panicking uselessly on her own.

 _You came down here to be productive!_ She reminds herself.

She swallows down her emotions and goes back to the book of legends, immediately awed by the images accompanying the short stories. They’re beautiful, painted in bright, geometric hues and depicting all sorts of Pokémon. How many species of Pokémon even are there? She feels like she’s gotten glimpses of at least twenty different kinds at this point.

Riolu reads through the first story, revolving around the original Mother of all Pokémon, Mew. It’s oddly…cute? Like a pink cat! Idly, she wonders how seriously the Pokémon take these legends. Are they real Pokemon, or more like religious stories or myths? August did say something about “the gods” being silent, which sounds pretty…real. Hm. She flips through a few more creatures, skimming the words for any mention of humans, and quickly decides to check out the book to read later on. It’s all super fascinating, technically helpful or not.

Riolu is pretty sure that she has always liked reading.

She scans through different tales, about trios of elemental guardians and a little sprite who can time travel and even an evil Pokemon banished from the entire Pokemon dimension. Honestly, a few of them sound like bedtime stories made up to scare little kids. Surely not all of these “legends” are actual Pokemon, right? Could something actually be powerful enough to travel through time? Then she thinks again about Tobias, breathing out embers of fire, and can’t quite convince herself that these are _just_ stories.

On the next page, the illustration depicts a bright yellow rabbit Pokémon with red cheeks and a long lightning bolt tail, surrounded by a bubble of bright blue...energy? It looks like it’s defending itself from a great plume of fire raging on all sides of it. Below it is a line of sad, skinny black creatures, with long arms and teary red eyes, holding masks of gold. The faces on the masks almost look—

Riolu gasps, yanking the book off the desk and into her lap. At the top of the next page sits exactly what she’s been hoping to see: _The Myth of Humankind_. This is it! The information she has been looking for! She begins to read, and realizes that this story in particular is more of an informational blurb than a fairy tale. Even better.

_For as long as there have been Pokémon, there have also been legends of another kind of being. Not a Pokémon, not a plant, but something else entirely: Humans._

_While no one truly knows the origin of these tales and there are no documented sightings or interactions with these “Humans”, a variety of stories focus on them and their supposed co-existence with Pokemon._

_The facts regarding their world, and how Pokemon fit into their lives, change from story to story. In some, Pokémon live side-by-side with humans as partners, in some stories Pokemon are hunted and feared by Humans, and in some, Pokemon are little more than myths and children’s tales, as Humans often are to Pokémon in our own world. A few tales fail to mention Pokémon at all._

Riolu’s brows rise. Well, she’s in that last minority, she supposes. She certainly doesn’t remember any mention of a Pokémon when she was human, not that that’s saying much with how little she _does_ remember. She continues reading.

 _For approximately_ _the past thirty years, there has been increased documentation of Pokémon appearing in our world, claiming to have once been a Human. Most of these Humans-turned-Pokemon eventually regain their memories, but often refuse to elaborate on their past. However, they stubbornly insist upon their history as a Human being._

Well, that sounds familiar. But thirty years? Riolu’s stomach clenches, something afraid and sad welling up in her throat. Maggie had mentioned before that humans have been coming to this world for decades and haven’t found a way back yet, but it’s only really starting to hit her that that means the humans continued to live here their _entire lives._ Some without ever recovering their memories! Tears sting hot at the back of Riolu’s eyes at the thought. She doesn’t remember her human life, but she does know she wants to go back. She has to have people she loves, to feel this heavy longing in her chest. She shakes her head, takes a deep breath, and moves on to the next paragraph.

_They appear to be regular, healthy Pokémon in every way aside from lost memories. The one consistent oddity with their kind is their ability to use the move “Protect” regardless of species. In native Pokémon, only a small handful of species, typically those with shells, can learn such a move. There is no apparent cause for such an anomaly._

Riolu frowns and turns back to the illustration, looking again at the yellow rabbit (or mouse, maybe?) Pokemon. Is that what that bright blue bubble is? A...”move” called protect? So it’s like a shield? Definitely sounds handy in a world where Pokémon can breathe literal fire. She turns back to the next page.

_The only species of Pokemon consistently connected with Humans is the rare ghost type Yamask. Unable to breed and with incredibly long lifespans, the Yamask and Cofagrigus line are most well-known for being born exclusively from supposed “Human souls.” They always retain the memories of their Human lives, and their Human face is reflected in the molding of each individual’s mask. They are often withdrawn and emotional after the rebirth into their Pokémon selves. Most refuse to answer questions regarding their transformation into a Pokémon, and as such how it is done remains a mystery. They cannot appear to change back._

Riolu doesn’t know whether to feel excited or despair even more at the mention of these yamask. They remember their life as a human, but refuse to talk about it? Why? It seems like of all the people turned into Pokemon, they would be the ones with the most information for how to return to the human world!

Riolu shakes her head and turns the page, disappointed to see the section about humans end. There are a few more fairytales following it, but she hums and skips them to read later.

Riolu sits back into the chair that’s almost too big for her, gaze floating around the giant room and its many, _many_ books. The longer she’s here, the more Riolu realizes she has only seen the tip of the iceberg regarding exactly how vast and nuanced the Pokémon world likely is. She hopes she won’t be stuck here long, but she can’t be running around looking for answers without knowing a thing about the world around her. She’s gonna have to start reading some books about Pokémon themselves—basic biology, types, these “moves” she’s heard about, and definitely about the calamities that started happening when humans began showing up.

For now, she picks up a book filled with significant figures in Pokémon history, flipping through the pages and scanning the names listed next to different species and their accomplishments. Some of them are illustrated in beautiful watercolor. Man, she’s going to have to check out _so_ many books. Hopefully Tobias won’t get too mad about her bringing them back. He probably will, but—

Wait. Riolu’s finger, running down a paragraph of historical Pokémon, stops on a single name, and she feels like someone just punched her in the gut.

_Antonia._

Riolu swallows, breath shaking out as tears flood her vision. She suddenly feels homesick and terribly lonely all at once, and she’s certain she knows this name. She _knows_ this name. Is it...is it hers? She definitely feels connected to it.

“Antonia,” she murmurs, voice thick with tears. “...Nia.”

She smiles a wobbly smile. The name makes her feel terribly vulnerable, but obviously it meant something to her, in her human life. Maybe...Maybe this should be her new name.

“Nia,” she whispers again, trying it out on her tongue. “My name is...Nia. Nia.”

The more she says it, the more certain she feels. It doesn’t come to her as naturally as she would hope, but...she likes it. She looks at the entry of the Pokémon itself, and sees that it belonged to a Pokémon called audino, who discovered new forms of mental healing. It’s a cute thing, pink with fluffy ears and bright blue eyes.

“Nia it is, then,” the riolu says decisively, wiping her eyes. She closes the book and looks down at it gratefully. Nia. She is someone now.

For the rest of her time in the archives, until the sun begins to set and cast long shadows across the floor, Nia peruses through her stack of books. There are so many types of Pokémon, and so many moves! Moves that Pokémon apparently use to battle each other? For fun? Looks like Tobias wasn’t kidding when he mentioned battling being a normal thing, back in the mystery dungeon.

It’s all so strange and foreign to her, but she supposes that makes it all the more important for her to know. If she’s going to find answers about her past and how to return to her old life, she’ll need all the knowledge she can get to properly navigate this world. Better check out some maps too, while she’s here.

Borrowing a burlap backpack from the two guardians of the archives, Nia checks out three or four of the books to read through later. A geography and mapping book to help familiarize her with the area, a tome detailing Pokemon types and moves, the legends book, and one other book that seems to be an explanatory guide for children. When they’re sitting heavy and reassuring against her back, she turns to the two helpful archive Pokémon one last time.

“Um. Would you mind answering one more question for me?”

Alistair, the beautiful...uh...white and green Pokémon smiles patiently. “Of course. What is it?” Tawny flutters closer, looking eager.

“I, uh, found some of the career paths that Pokémon tend to have here at the guild, but...”

“Yes?”

“Wh-What kind of, uh...jobs would you two recommend I look into to find out more about humans? And maybe my past? Sorry, you two just seem to know a lot so—“

“Don’t apologize! This is our job!” Tawny chirps, bouncing in the air to convey her excitement.

Alistair nods. “As for your question, you could look into becoming a researcher.”

“But if you want to do that, you’ll need to travel to lots of different areas to talk to other Pokemon and investigate. That might be difficult if you haven’t had much training to protect yourself,” Tawny says.

“True. And escorts are quite expensive.”

“Also, you’d probably be asked by the guild to do research on subjects other than humans, too, if you’re using their resources.”

Nia looks back and forth between the two as they build on each other’s points. Research does sound right up her alley, curious as she is about the Pokémon world, but...

“S-So it might be a while before I would really be able to do research specifically on humans?”

Alistair and Tawny exchange a reluctant look.

“Unfortunately,” Alistair says. “It usually takes a while for guild-affiliated researchers to be able to travel so independently, due to the potential dangers and their lack of credibility.” He glances at Tawny again, sounding unsure about his next words. “There is one other option that comes to mind, but I’m not sure it would be to your liking.”

Nia perks up. “Yes?”

“You could become a Seeker!” Tawny cheers. Alistair and Nia wince at her sudden increase in volume.

A…Seeker? Nia remembers hearing about those in passing yesterday, and maybe in the dungeon with Tobias. Maggie had pointed out a few of them on their way to the cafeteria for supper. They were all strong-looking groups of Pokémon with heavy satchels and notable scars, either heading out into the forest or returning from it looking weary.

“What do they do, exactly?” Nia asks.

“Quite a lot of things,” Alistair says, leaning forward against the desk as he thinks. “They explore new areas and look for resources, rescue injured or lost Pokémon, track down and capture outlaws...”

“Really exciting stuff!” Tawny says. “Dangerous stuff, but still! They always have the best stories. Especially the ones about mystery dungeons!”

Nia slumps. There’s no way she could handle all of that. Willingly throwing herself back into a terrifying mystery dungeon? That just sounds like a death wish.

“So I’d have to fight,” Nia says, unable to stop the disappointment from creeping into her voice.

Alistair sighs. “Yes, most likely. Even if you focus entirely on rescue work, you will have to be able to defend yourself in the case of running across any aggressive Pokemon or getting lost in a mystery dungeon.”

“Yeah, the guilds have laws and procedures so no one gets sent out unprepared. Too many deaths happen that way.”

Nia looks at Tawny, wide-eyed. _Deaths?_ Sure, in hindsight it makes sense that Pokemon could…die. Fantasy creatures or not. But still, it’s not something she had thought much about yet.

“B-But it’s rare for Seekers to get killed on the job!” Tawny hurries to add at Nia’s stricken expression. “They’re required to work in teams of two or more, and they get these nifty little badges that can transport them out of the area if they get in serious trouble! There’s a group of psychics at each guild that control it.”

Still, even knowing that safety net was in place, the job as a Seeker sounds so dangerous. And not to mention _terrifying._ No way could that path be for her. She doesn’t want to fight anyone. Or die, for that matter.

“So those are the only two paths you think could help me?” Nia asks.

Alistair hums. “They’re certainly the first two to come to mind.”

“A Seeker would really be the best option, because you go to more places quicker and get to talk to a wider range of Pokémon,” Tawny says, tilting her head at the riolu with a sympathetic smile. “But it’s also much scarier.”

Nia nods, mostly to herself. So a Seeker would definitely be the most beneficial career for looking into her human life, but she could never actually do it. She’d have to find a team first, people willing to partner with someone who knows nothing about the Pokemon world, and she’d have to learn to defend herself, too. Learn to fight. That’s way too tall of an order.

“Well, I’ll think about everything you’ve told me,” Nia eventually says, thumbing the straps of her backpack and trying to smile up at the two Pokémon. “Thank you so much for all of your help.”

“You’re very welcome, Riolu!” Tawny chirps as Alistair simply smiles. “Feel free to come back any time. We love the company!”

“Oh! I almost forgot! Would you mind calling me Nia now?” The riolu asks, feeling oddly bashful about the correction.

“Of course,” Alistair says, his pretty red eyes sparkling. “Good choice.”

“Thanks!” Nia says, turning and heading back into the stairwell. “Have a good night!”

Tawny waves until she’s out of sight, and then Nia begins her trek upward, hoping she’ll be able to find the medical floor before nightfall. She learned so much today—about this world, her potential future, and even herself. Even if it wasn’t all great news, she can’t wait to talk to Maggie about it! Maybe even Xander if she bumps into him again. Just…not literally this time.

Nia isn’t exactly sure where to go from here, but she feels better now that she has gotten a start. Becoming a Seeker sounds like the most efficient option for discovering her past, but there’s no way she could handle what they do. A researcher is really much more her style.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobias considers his life at the guild, and makes a life-changing decision.
> 
> TW: Panic Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do note that there is a trigger warning for a panic attack in this chapter!!! If you're concerned about reading it, let me know and I can give you the start and end points of that moment as well as a summary of what happened during the attack itself.

Tobias can feel the heat rolling off his skin as he moves. He glares at the training dummy, bouncing on his toes, before launching into another stream of attacks.

Smokescreen hisses white and murky from his throat, clouding the area and wrecking any hope for visibility. His sharp eyes can still pick out the dummy’s silhouette, so he slashes at it with metal-coated claws, satisfied by the feeling of the fabric splitting open. He spins, slamming his tail into it with a solid thump before springing back and spraying a wave of embers at his foe.

As the smokescreen begins to clear, Tobias can see that the dummy is a wreck, riddled with gashes and glittering with embers that even the flame-resistant cloth can’t smother. It should still be good to go for a few more rounds.

“Can you not destroy property for one day?”

The words are sarcastic, and Tobias slumps, tipping his head back with a groan. “Arceus, Archer, I only used one dummy today!”

He turns to see the breloom walking up to him, eyeing the smoldering dummy with disapproval. “Vera had to make a whole new batch after your past few training sessions.”

“I said sorry,” Tobias grumbles, looking around for the first time since he’d arrived at dawn. There’s only a handful of other Pokémon around, probably Seeker teams practicing their moves. As usual, they pay him no mind. Archer has pulled out a small notebook, and is writing something down with careful claws. Probably keeping score of how much equipment Tobias broke. Ugh.

“You need to be less destructive,” Archer says.

Tobias bristles. “Fire _is_ destructive. Maybe you should make your equipment more _durable_.”

The breloom looks unimpressed. “Everyone else does fine with this equipment—including Pokemon much stronger than you.”

Tobias’ hands curl into fists.

“You need to learn to hold back,” Archer repeats.

Tobias scowls up at him. “I already _am_ holding back! Isn’t training kind of the point of this area? What do you want me to do, not use my fire at all?”

“That would be a nice change of pace,” Archer agrees, sickly sweet.

Tobias growls at the words, hating that they still get to him. It’s not _his_ fault he’s the only fire type in the guild.

“Besides,” Archer adds. “Doesn’t Maggie need your help? You know, doing something that would contribute to your actual job? Like guiding around that little riolu.”

Tobias, who had moved forward to pat out the remaining fire, stiffens. He turns on his heel and marches out of the training grounds without another word. He tries to control his breathing as he makes his way up to the medical ward, like Maggie taught him years ago.

He hates how everyone dismisses him when he’s not doing something to help Maggie. He hates that they still look so nervous around him when he practices. He hates that no one respects his choices in general. So what if he wants to be able to fight and get stronger even as a medic? That’s not anyone else’s business. He’s good at his job and if he wants to work on another skill in his downtime, he can.

Besides, he’d rather be anywhere other than leading that riolu around. What was her name now? Mia? Nia, that’s it. He’d rather dig through a muk than have to guide her around all day like a helpless little kid. She’s an adult, for Moltres’ sake! He doesn’t care if she has supposed “amnesia”—he did not sign up to be her personal tour guide. She can figure it out herself.

Tobias is so caught up in his irritation that he almost walks straight past the medical floor. He huffs and walks to the quarters he shares with Maggie— _not_ Nia—and is immediately annoyed to see the riolu awake, talking eagerly to Maggie. She cuts herself off when he enters the room.

“Stop staring,” he snaps, then turns to Maggie. “What do you need me to do?”

The meganium frowns down at him. Great. “Tobias, don’t be rude. Nia was talking.”

“N-No, it’s okay,” the riolu says, waving her hands in front of her defensively. “I can wait.”

Maggie looks unhappy but uses her vines to scoop up a thin stack of documents sitting on her desk. She hands them to Tobias, who glances over the top one. Mission requests asking for Gatherers and Seekers to pick up herbs for them from more distant locations. The usual.

“I need you to pin these up on the mission board, please,” Maggie says. Then her voice turns steely. “And Tobias?”

The charmander peeks up at her, and somehow her disappointed expression is worse than if she’d looked furious with him.

“Come back here when you’re finished. You’re going to have to talk to poor Nia eventually. I’m sure you’re prickly enough when you show her around. In here you’re going to be civilized.”

The sinking feeling in Tobias’ stomach is overshadowed by confusion. He...he hasn’t been showing Nia around at all. He’s actually been waiting for Maggie to scold him about that. His gaze flicks over to Nia, and she looks frozen with panic. Her eyes meet his, and she frantically shakes her head. Oh. She’s been covering for him? But...why?

Before he can become suspicious, Maggie prompts, “Tobias?”

“Y-Yeah, sure,” he mumbles. “I’ll be back.” He turns and hurries out of the room.

As he makes his way down to the base of the guild where the mission boards are housed, he hugs the forms tight to his chest, thinking. Why would Nia cover for him? He’s pointedly ignored her ever since she arrived at the guild. The few times he _did_ have to talk to her, he barbed his comments with the nastiest tone he could muster.

He shoves down a jab of guilt in his stomach.

Tobias doesn’t necessarily _hate_ the riolu, he just...doesn’t want to be around her. Her timid nature and constant questions are annoying, and now she has taken his alone space away from him. To add on to that, she whimpers and twitches in her sleep, restless as an emolga, and keeps him up half the night. Not to mention her weird claim that she used to be human. So yeah, he’s not exactly dying to be forced to interact with her.

Besides, it’s not like he likes interacting with anyone else much better. Everyone at the guild made it clear years ago how they felt about him, and he’s content to reciprocate. He doesn’t get along with others, and he doesn’t want to. Simple. Maggie and the shinx siblings are pretty much the only exceptions to that rule.

As Tobias passes the nursery floor, he’s brought out of his musings by a shrill cry of, “Toby!”

Well, speak of the sableye. Fighting a smile, Tobias turns to see a small shinx sprinting towards him through the doorway. He sets the stack of papers down just in time to catch the fluffball as he leaps into Tobias’ arms.

Tobias lurches forward with a playful, “Oof,” dipping as if the shinx is too heavy for him to hold. “Arceus, Luca, how much have you been eating?!”

The shinx giggles, scrambling out of his hold to climb onto his shoulders. Tobias obediently collapses forward onto the ground with a dramatic, “Ugh!”

Luca plops down on his back and purrs. “It’s not the food—I’m just getting too strong!”

“Oh, is that so?” Tobias asks. He rolls over into a sit. “You do look like you’ve put on some muscle.”

Luca puffs up his fur and grins at Tobias, blue and black pelt crackling with static. “I know! I even beat Laine in a battle yesterday!”

“That’s awesome!” Tobias says, grinning back at the shinx just as proudly. He glances past the shinx in search of the cub’s siblings. “Where are Laine and Leor?”

“They’re playin’ a game. But you shoulda seen my battle! I bet I’m strong enough to take on a whole mystery dungeon by now! Xander was telling us about this super cool dungeon his team went to with all these flowers and bug Pokemon, and Laine and Leor and me are gonna go find it ourselves so we can explore it and--“

“Luca!”

They both look up to see the giant form of Arlo bustling over to them from deeper within the nursery. The drampa looks torn between relief and anger, feathers ruffled.

Luca crouches low. “Uh-oh.”

Tobias snorts a laugh. “Did you sneak out again?” 

“Maybe?”

“ _Maybe_ is right!” Arlo says as he reaches the doorway, ducking to glare at the tiny Pokémon. “You know better than that, Luca. Do I have to tell Xander you were misbehaving again?”

Luca scrambles back inside, looking up at the drampa. “No! Don’t tell him, please! He’ll get all sad and stuff. It’s awful!”

“Then go back to your siblings,” Arlo huffs.

Luca rushes away, tossing a “Bye, Toby!” over his shoulder. Tobias watches him go with an amused smirk.

Arlo sighs, shaking his head. “Apologies, Tobias. You know how he gets.”

The charmander shakes his head and scoops up the documents, making sure none fluttered away in the scuffle. “No problem. You sound like you have your work cut out for you.”

“That I do,” Arlo grumbles, not without affection. He turns and shuffles back inside, towards the chatter of children.

Tobias continues down the tree, mood considerably lighter than it was before. The little brats—Luca and his siblings especially—don’t judge him and are always eager to see him, and he can forgive anything dumb they do since they’re so young. It’s nice.

Tobias has only passed a few Pokémon by time he reaches the bottom of the tree. Most of them are either out already or crowded around the mission boards. Tobias shuffles through the teams and shoulders his way to the front of mission board E with a muttered, “Excuse me” that sounds more like a threat than a pleasantry.

He pins up the letters one by one, taking his time to delay his inevitable return to Maggie’s wrath. Eventually, he moves over to the higher board ranks as the locations in the documents become more dangerous. Soon enough he’s finished, and just so he won’t have to go through the crowd at his back, he ducks under the board and out the other side to the outlaw letters. He pauses for a moment to see where he’s at in the expansive, increasingly busy room. Until something on the outlaw board at his side catches his eye. He turns to look, and suddenly he can’t breathe.

A new “wanted” poster is pinned to the S rank board, with the scratchy portraits of an arcanine, crobat, and pangoro staring back at him. Images and sounds and sensations he’s long since tried to erase explode inside his mind.

_Plumes of fire rebounding off cave walls, throwing distorted shadows—_

_The flash of claws—_

_A streak of purple, too fast too track—_

_A weight on his back, the stinging downpour of rain, thunder booming and are they following him they have to be right behind him—_

Tobias squeezes his eyes shut and lets his legs buckle. He’s going to die. He needs, he—air, he can’t breathe—

He blindly crawls under the notice board, leaning back heavily against the side post and curling his knees up to his chest. His heart is racing, hammering, he can hear it in his head, and it takes him a moment to realize that he’s gasping so hard he’s hardly breathing. Why can’t he get any air?

He’s hot, overheating, melting, but he can’t bring his body to move from its spot on the ground. Why is he so hot? He’s a fire type, there’s no way it’s too warm for him.

Eventually, he manages to squint his eyes open, only to be met with black spots and the blur of tears. He’s dying. He grips at the hard ground, wishing Maggie were here. She could help. Where is she?

Tobias focuses on thoughts of the meganium, of her soothing voice and the scent of her flower, letting old, comforting memories of her play through his head and try to wash away the—

_Snarling, thunder, crying—_

Maggie. He’s at the guild with _Maggie_. He’s okay.

Tobias doesn’t know how long he sits there, curled up into a ball of tension, but eventually his heart rate slows enough for him to breathe again. As he blinks away tears with a hiss of steam, he realizes he’s shaking. The charmander flicks his tail into view and stares into the tiny, wavering flame. Tries to blank out his thoughts, let the static soothe his panic instead of stoke it.

He doesn’t know how much longer he waits until trying to move. Every muscle in his body is stiff and sore, and he feels like he could sleep for a week. Great. Slowly, Tobias crawls out of the space, relieved to see the room mostly empty. Either no one saw his breakdown or they didn’t care enough to try and calm him down.

With a still shaking hand, he snatches the wanted poster off the board and folds it up, trying to walk back to the staircase without staggering. He hopes Maggie didn’t notice how long he was gone. She probably did.

By the time he makes it back up to the medical ward, Tobias feels calmer, even if he’s still exhausted. When he steps into their quarters trying to hide his nerves, he sees Riolu—Nia—reading in a corner and Maggie separating some herbs. The meganium turns to him, face set into something hard and scolding. Tobias’ heart squeezes at how quickly her expression turns to worry.

“Tobias? What happened?” She asks, hurrying over to him and using a vine to stroke at his cheek.

He opens his mouth to lie, trying to resist the urge to press into her touch, but finds that he can’t quite speak. Maggie’s vine tips his head up so she can look into his eyes.

“Are you okay?” She asks, softly.

“Yeah,” Tobias croaks, before he can stop himself. “Panic attack, I think.” He hasn’t had one for a year or two, but it’s hard to forget what it feels like.

Maggie’s antennae flatten, and she pulls him into her hold, murmuring, “Oh, Tobias.”

“I’m fine,” he mumbles into the flower at her neck, trying to sound more confident than he feels. He doesn’t try to fight her embrace or her soothing scent. He can still feel himself shaking.

Tobias isn’t sure how long he stays like that, feeling his heart rate and his thoughts slowly smooth out, before remembering that Nia is in the room with them. He reluctantly pushes back from Maggie, and she releases him.

The riolu is clearly trying to not look interested—or worried?—despite the fact that she’s peeking at the two of them over her book with furrowed brows. When he glares at her, she squeaks and buries her face back into the pages.

“Here,” he says, roughly, holding up the folded wanted poster. Maggie takes it in her vines and unfolds it, a quiet breath her only reaction to the picture. “I can’t read it right now. How long have they been on the wanted listing?”

Maggie hesitates. “Tobias—“

“Just tell me. Please.”

“...Five years.”

Tobias swallows hard, stubbornly shoving away the memories trying to crowd back into his brain. One breakdown is fine for today, thank you.

Five years. He can hardly believe it. It’s been...what? Eight years since Maggie took him in? And five years since these three were officially outlawed. That’s incredible. Most outlaws are only on the run for two or three years, tops, after authorities are notified and word is spread to Seeker teams. They must have been on the other side of the world for word to have taken this long to reach the guild.

How are they still free?

“Tobias,” Maggie says, voice cautious. She sounds like she’s talking down a dangerous criminal. “I can see you thinking about this. Don’t do anything rash. You know that the authorities and the Seeker teams are doing their best to catch them, and—“

“And they’re still free, Maggie!” He snaps. Softer, he says, “They’re still out there. Clearly the authorities and the Seekers aren’t doing their jobs well enough.”

Maggie’s still looking at him like he might go running out of the guild this very second to challenge the outlaws to a fight. She glances at Nia, and Tobias follows her gaze to see the riolu not even pretending to be reading anymore. Instead, she’s watching him, worriedly wringing her paws.

“C-Can I help?” She asks, clearly with no idea of what’s going on.

Tobias snorts. “Not unless you want to arrest three S-rank criminals.”

The riolu’s ears flatten, and she frantically shakes her head.

Wait.

If no one else can seem to track these three down and arrest them...if no one else cares enough to focus on hunting them down...

Then maybe it’s up to him to do it.

It’ll take a long time to become strong enough to beat them—especially with no one being able to evolve anymore. But he has to do it. He can feel it in his bones. Maybe it’s like some form of divine retribution, justice for all the evil they’ve done. Justice for what they’ve done to him.

He can’t believe he’s never thought of this before. He can’t just sit around and wait for some other Pokémon to do the job for him, apparently, so he has to take matters into his own hands. And there’s really only one way to do that. 

“Maggie,” he says, voice strong and sure. “I‘m becoming a Seeker.”

Maggie reels back at the declaration. “W-What? Now Tobias, hold on a moment. You’re very emotional right now and—“

“Maggie.”

The meganium stops, looking upset.

“I’m going to become a Seeker, get stronger, and take these three out myself. I don’t care if it takes ten years to do it.”

Maggie opens her mouth to argue, but then thinks better of it. “Have you really decided on this? Right now? So suddenly?”

Tobias nods, feeling a fire light in his belly. He’s never been more sure of anything in his life.

“Will you at least think about it for the day? Wait until tomorrow to apply?”

Tobias frowns, looking up at the meganium. He isn’t sure if Maggie is just scared for his sake, or if she’s hoping he won’t leave his job with her. Probably both. They’ll still see each other if he joins an exploration team, but...it won’t be the same. He feels a heavy sadness in his chest at the thought of no more long days alongside the meganium, searching for herbs in the forest and playfully bantering with each other. He loves to spend time with her, and he really doesn’t mind his current job...

But Tobias knows himself. And he can feel that, like lit kindling, there’s no going back for him. The moment the idea popped into his head his new course was set. He’s going to be a Seeker, and he’s going to take those three outlaws down.

“I’ll wait until tomorrow to apply,” he agrees, just to ease that worried expression from Maggie’s face. Even her flower looks wilted.

The meganium lets out a sigh of relief. “Good. You need to be certain before making such a big decision. Especially one that’s driven by such...emotional ties.”

“Just for you, Maggie.”

The meganium smiles weakly in response.

As Tobias’ decision solidifies and he feels himself calm down, the exhaustion from his earlier panic attack weighs down on him once again. He yawns.

“You should rest for a while,” Maggie suggests, watching him with concern. “You’ve...been through a lot this morning.”

Tobias looks to his room, debating. With how his morning’s gone there’s a good chance he’ll have nightmares, but he is really tired.

Maggie nudges him with her snout. “Go on. I’ll wake you for lunch.”

Tobias can’t argue with that. He nods, rubbing at his eyes, and walks back into his room. He curls up in his soft nest and flicks his tail over his snout.

He’s out in seconds, his sleep dark and dreamless. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia talks to Maggie about Tobias’ past and makes a decision of her own.

Nia watches the alcove where Tobias vanished, hearing the charmander settle into his nest with a rustle. After a few moments of quiet, she looks to Maggie for some explanation for the emotional display that just happened, but the meganium is clearly elsewhere, eyes a thousand miles away and expression pinched with worry. Nia sets her book to the side and rises to her feet, approaching the older Pokémon.

“Maggie?” She murmurs, resting a hand on the older woman’s leg.

The meganium jolts out of her thoughts, looking down at the riolu. For fear of Tobias hearing her concerns, Nia just frowns and tilts her head, hoping her question is clear. The meganium seems to get the message, and nods her head in the direction of the doorway into the hall. Nia nods and follows her, and the two of them walk away from their quarters.

“What—“

“Hold on, dear,” Maggie says. Nia obediently shuts her mouth again, wondering where the meganium is taking her.

They end up back at the staircase without a word, and climb it upwards, past two more floors, and then finally step out onto...a mail floor? Open patches of foliage let in fresh windy air and a flood of sunlight, and Nia sees a large white pelican Pokémon land on one of the wooden platforms, a few letters visibly clamped in his beak.

She follows Maggie past the bird, and they only stop once they reach another landing spot. Maggie walks up to the edge and sinks comfortably onto the wooden planks. Nia follows her lead, sitting next to her and enjoying the way the wind whips at her fur. The sun is nice and warm, too, and they have a breathtaking view of the forest from above. The blue sky looks endless, and she’s only a little nervous about how high up they are. 

“Sorry, dear. Tobias would have a fit if he heard us talking about him like he wasn’t there,” Maggie says, just loud enough to be heard over the breeze. She sounds unbearably fond.

Nia looks over at her, noticing for the first time how...old Maggie looks. She’s seemed so full of life ever since Nia met her, but now she just looks worn. Sad. The creases under her eyes seem deeper.

“C-Can I...can I ask what happened down there?” Nia asks.

Maggie smiles, the slightest bit. “I’ll tell you what I can. Most of it isn’t my story to tell.”

Nia nods, remembering the way Tobias looked when he’d first returned to the room. Pale and shaken, eyes swollen from crying. He’d looked so vulnerable. So different from the scathing, aloof Pokemon she’s become accustomed to over the past few days.

“I met Tobias around, oh...eight years ago, when he was only nine.” Maggie starts. “I was far from the guild at the time, on a trip to buy herbs from a little town at the base of a mountain range. Isolated place, but lovely. That’s where I met Tobias.”

Maggie smiles, and it looks bittersweet. “He was such a tiny thing, refusing to speak to anyone. And he had been…hurt. Badly. The healer there told me they’d found him unconscious just outside the village. I asked what they planned to do with him, seeing as he was alone, and they didn’t have an answer. So I offered to bring him back to the guild with me.”

Nia looks up at the meganium with open admiration. “You took him in, just like that?”

Maggie smiles. “I did. From what the healer told me, he had nowhere to go and I figured he would do better someplace different, far away from whatever memories lied in those mountains. I thought I would have Arlo raise him in the nursery, but in the course of our trip home that feisty little charmander stole my heart. He’s been with me ever since.”

Nia suddenly understands the clear familial affection between the two, the intense fear on the meganium’s face when Tobias talked about hunting down those outlawed Pokémon. “So...is it a bad idea for Tobias to become a Seeker?” She asks.

Maggie hesitates, looking thoughtfully at the blue sky. “No. Not bad. He’s always been drawn to battling and training, and I think it would actually do him well, to get out into the world. To meet other Pokémon and grow. Here he is allowed to stagnate, to wallow in his anger. In some ways, becoming a Seeker would likely be the best option for him.”

“So you’re only discouraging him because…he’s going after those criminals?”

Maggie sighs. “Tobias is a stubborn one, and once he sets his mind to something, it’s nigh impossible to change it. If my guess as to what those three did is correct, then I understand why he feels the need to hunt them down. But they’re S-rank Pokemon. It would take years for him to become strong enough to defeat them. Even then, it would be incredibly dangerous, and he could...”

The meganium trails off, her voice beginning to shake even as her posture remains tall and strong. Nia shivers at the implications of what the outlaws could do. What they’ve _already_ done.

Maggie clears her throat. “I just fear that he will become too wrapped up in his search for revenge. That it will consume him. Or that he’ll become too discouraged when they cannot be found. That he’ll give up on everything.”

Nia doesn’t know what to say to that, frowning as she watches a tan bird Pokémon with a crest of red feathers land lightly at the next port down. What a tricky situation. On one hand, it sounds like becoming a Seeker would be great for the temperamental charmander. Maybe give him an opportunity to vent and learn. On the other hand, his motivations for pursuing such a path in the first place are incredibly dangerous. Potentially even fatal.

“I know I can’t stop him either way,” Maggie says, almost as if speaking to herself. “So I suppose all I can do is support him and pray to Virizion that he stays safe.” Nia reaches out to lay a comforting hand on the meganium’s side. Maggie smiles down at her, looking grateful. “I’ll miss him terribly. Tantrums and all.”

Nia laughs.

There’s a moment of quiet, and then Maggie speaks again, voice only a bit forced in its cheeriness. “So! I believe we got distracted in our chat earlier. Have you made any decisions regarding what you would like to do here at the guild?”

Nia pulls her fluffy tail into her lap, stroking at it as she considers how to answer. She has been giving her options a lot of thought—and even considered a few other paths that sounded interesting, such as a nursery worker or an archivist. But it seems like Tawny and Alistair were right. Her two best options for finding answers are still the same as she’d been told at the very start.

“I’m leaning towards becoming a researcher,” Nia says, hesitantly. “I want to find out everything I can about humans and my past, and how to return to my old life. So that seems like the best option. Tawny and Alistair recommended it to me.”

Maggie hums. “Seems like a sensible choice. You’re quite a clever, curious sort.”

Nia feels herself flush under her fur. “S-So you think that would be my best option?”

Maggie turns to look at her. “Did you have something else in mind?”

“W-Well...” Nia doesn’t even know why she’s bringing this up. She knows she could never do it, but... “Tawny did say that a, uh, Seeker would actually be the best way to go about looking for my past.”

“But?”

“But I could never do that,” Nia says with an awkward laugh.

“And why not?”

Nia stops avoiding the dinosaur’s gaze. “What?”

“Why not?” Maggie asks again, sounding genuinely confused.

“B-Because!” Nia stammers, gesturing to herself. “I’m me! I don’t know anything about this world and I don’t know how to fight—not that I even _want_ to—a-and exploring sounds way too intense for me. I was practically useless when Tobias and I got stuck in that dungeon! I’d probably be too scared to do anything, a-and...yeah.” She trails off lamely.

“It sounds like you’re talking yourself out of it,” Maggie observes. “You can always learn more about this world and how to fight. You’re a fast learner.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess, but…”

“Perhaps you should give it more thought,” Maggie says, a hint of a smile at her lips. “You might surprise yourself if you try it out.”

Nia looks down at her paws, thoughts even more muddled than before. Despite Maggie’s encouragement, she doesn’t know why she keeps thinking that becoming a Seeker is an actual possibility. A researcher would really be more suited to her personality. And yet, the idea keeps popping into her head. Sure, it would be the fastest way for her to get more information, but still! The Pokémon world sounds terrifying for Seekers!

...Terrifying and, admittedly, more than a bit exciting. In the span of four or five days she’s already seen so many different kinds of Pokémon and heard of so many amazing phenomena just within the walls of the guild. She can only imagine what kind of incredible things are out in the rest of the Pokémon world! Nia doesn’t know exactly what kind of person she was as a human, but she wonders if maybe she always dreamed of something like this, of having the chance to take crazy adventures. Her heart races just thinking about it, even as nervous butterflies fill her stomach.

God, she has no idea what to do now.

“Don’t look so worried, dear,” Maggie says, amused. “You can always try out one path and switch if it doesn’t suit you.”

“I guess,” Nia says, looking out at the sky again. The forest seems to stretch on forever beneath them, wild and vast. The riolu finally admits to herself that some part of her itches to explore it.

* * *

Nia and Maggie spend a while longer at the port area before making their way back downstairs. Tobias is still sleeping, so Nia sits near Maggie as she works and pulls out her book, a text detailing different Pokémon types, where they tend to reside, and what their individual weaknesses and strengths are. It’s...fascinating. Weird, but fascinating.

The riolu doesn’t even register the time flying by until Maggie nudges her on the way to wake up Tobias. It’s lunch already? By time the charmander is up, yawning and blinking blearily at Nia with much less animosity than usual, she realizes just how hungry she is.

“Thanks, Maggie,” Toby slurs, stretching. Nia stands up and does the same, wincing at how stiff her tail feels. Was she sitting on it? Yikes.

Maggie responds with a light brush of her vine across Tobias’ head. “Of course. Would you two bring me something back?”

Uh-oh. She’s not coming with them? Nia looks over to Tobias, expecting to see him glaring back at her. Instead, he just glances at her with mild annoyance instead of boiling hatred. That’s a step up, she thinks. “Sure. C’mon.”

He turns to leave, and Nia shoots Maggie an uncertain look before hurrying after the charmander. The walk down to the cafeteria is almost as awkward as the first day she arrived here. Nia wants to fill the silence up with some sort of conversation, but she knows that she’ll get shut down unless she picks something the charmander actually wants to talk about.

Oh. Duh.

Nia works up the courage to ask, “S-So, uh, what do you have to do to become a Seeker?”

Tobias sends her a wary look. “Why do you wanna know?”

Nia shrugs in return, not daring to mention that she’s thinking of becoming a Seeker herself. “Just, uh, curious.”

For a moment Tobias is silent, and Nia thinks he’s not going to answer her. Then he surprises her by saying, “You have to apply to the Seekers organization with at least one other teammate. Then you start preliminary training and take on missions to raise your rank and get rewards.”

Nia blinks at his back, shocked that she actually got a civil answer out of the charmander. “Oh. Who’s going to be your partner?”

Tobias doesn’t answer her, and Nia wisely decides not to push her luck.

They make it to the cafeteria, and although Nia is tempted to follow Tobias into his chosen food line, she instead joins a different queue to try and give the charmander a few minutes of space. She steps into line behind a graceful-looking green deer Pokemon and grabs a tray.

To her surprise, the deer sends a cursory glance over her shoulder, and then does a double-take, large ears perking up. “Oh, wow! You’re Nia, right?”

Nia tries not to lean away from the sudden enthusiasm. “U-Uh. Yes?”

The deer turns around and grins at her with bright eyes. “I was hoping I’d run into you soon! I’m Andyn, a Seeker here at the guild.”

Nia tries not to be overwhelmed by how adorable this Pokemon is. She even has a flower tucked behind her ear! She’s probably around Nia’s age, though, so the riolu tries to sound casual when she smiles and replies, “N-Nice to meet you.”

“There’s so much I’ve been wanting to ask you about being a human and how weird it must be to wash up here all of a sudden—you’re the talk of the guild these days!” The deer laughs at Nia’s stricken expression. “Don’t look so freaked out! It’s a good thing.” The line moves forward, but Andyn simply steps back to keep up with it. “I’m just grabbing something to go, but you totally need to eat with me and my team sometime! ‘Kay?”

Nia doesn’t know what to say, clutching the tray close to her chest, so she just nods. Andyn giggles again and turns to collect her meal from the cafeteria Pokemon—some sort of orange, fiery-looking...chicken? 

There’s a horrible KFC joke in there somewhere, Nia just knows it.

The chicken Pokémon hands Andyn a cloth bag of food, and the deer accepts it with a nod of thanks. She smiles again at Nia before bounding off. The riolu turns to order her own food, fighting off a giddy sort of feeling in her chest. Andyn seemed really nice! Maybe they could end up being friends in the future.

By the time Nia has her food and sits down across from Tobias, the charmander is already busy eating. He’s cooking a few small berries in his hands, blowing a plume of fire over them like a tiny blowtorch. Nia watches in fascination, nibbling on a juicy blue berry.

When the charmander finally crunches down on the browned berries, Nia takes a chance and asks, “H-How exactly do you do that?”

Tobias pauses to give her a look. “Do what?”

Nia points at her own mouth. “Breathe fire. Like, I know it’s a natural thing for your type, but how does it, uh...feel? Do you breathe it out from your stomach or your throat, o-or..?”

Tobias blinks at her, brow furrowing. For a moment, Nia’s sure he’s about to snap at her. But then he just rolls his eyes and says, “You’re so weird.” Before Nia can feel embarrassed, he continues, “I don’t know the exact science behind it, but the flames come from an organ near my stomach. You’d have to look in a textbook in to find out the exact name. We just call it a flame pouch.”

Nia, awed just to have the charmander talking to her in something other than insults, nods.

“It feels...kind of like forcing out a breath of air,” he continues, clearly searching for the right words. “Voluntary. But also natural. It’s hard to describe.”

Nia nods. She has no doubt it’s a complex feeling, when having to really think about it. Like trying to explain to someone how blinking feels.

Idly, the riolu wonders if maybe the charmander seems so much less irritable because of his decision to become a Seeker. Maybe he’d been a lot more unhappy about his position and the unanswered questions of the outlaw trio than even Maggie had realized. He certainly seems less angry now than the entire four days she’s been here. Nicer.

“You gonna respond or just stare like an espurr?” Tobias snaps, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Okay, maybe not that much nicer.

“S-Sorry,” Nia says, looking back to her food and picking through the berries. “That’s really interesting. I can’t even imagine what that feels like.”

She glances up in time to see Tobias lifting a brow at her. “Why would you? You’re a fighting type. You can do things that I can’t, too.”

Nia perks up at that. “I...guess that’s true. And I could use moves, a-and uh...aura abilities if I just practiced, right? And had a teacher?”

“I mean, yeah,” Tobias says, looking confused about her sudden interest. “All Pokemon can. Some are naturally stronger than others, some are better strategists, but any Pokémon can fight.”

Nia takes a moment to soak that statement in, chewing thoughtfully on a berry. Any Pokémon can fight. So...even her.

“A-and fighting is...different for Pokémon, right? You guys do it like, for fun. And it’s not, like...um...”

Tobias must see where she’s going, because his snout scrunches up in clear distaste. “No, I already told you we don’t go around maiming each other, jeez. Most battles end with a knockout and non-lethal injuries, even between outlaws and Seekers.”

Nia feels herself relax ever so slightly. She’d already read as much from some of the books she’d checked out of the archives and saw evidence of it herself when she was in the dungeon with Tobias, but she’ll take all the reassurance she can get that battling is normal for Pokemon, at least to a degree. Maybe...maybe she could make this Seeker thing work. She just has to scare off the feral Pokémon in mystery dungeons and stuff, right? And she wouldn’t _have_ to take on any outlaw work...

Tobias looks at her strangely but doesn’t comment on her silence. He simply goes back to his food with a huff. The rest of the meal is quiet, but not uncomfortably so, and when they go to leave, Tobias stops by one of the queues to ask for a specific blend of food items.

Nia blinks at how many of the little purple berries he requests. “Th-That’s...a lot.”

Tobias rolls his eyes and takes the bag of food, not answering as he leaves the cafeteria. Nia follows him back up to their quarters. When Maggie greets them both with a warm smile, Tobias jabs the sack lunch at her with a blunt, “Here.”

The meganium takes the offered food, peeking inside. Clearly delighted, she chirps, “So many bluk berries today! Thank you, Tobias.”

The charmander grumbles something about the meal coming that way before moving over to Maggie’s desk and grabbing a stack of dried herbs and a mortar and pestle to grind them up. Huh. Tobias is definitely coarse and filled to the brim with anger, but the more Nia sees of him when he’s not ignoring her or sending sharp comments her way, the more she thinks that maybe he’s not that bad of a Pokémon.

Of course, just as she’s thinking this, Tobias glances up, catches her staring at him, and growls, “You could get off your tail and help, you know.”

Nia jumps, bustling over to Maggie’s desk to grab a second mortar and pestle, as well as some herbs. “S-Sorry!”

She sits down on the ground near him and listens carefully as Maggie points out which herbs to grind together into medicinal blends. The riolu has a pathetic first attempt at using the unfamiliar bowl and rod of stone, and Tobias looks like he doesn’t know if he wants to laugh at her or set her on fire for her failure.

Maggie reassures her, and she tries again.

* * *

Nia wakes up the next morning to Tobias’ voice, loudly and angrily ranting about something in Maggie’s main quarters. She lifts her head and blinks at the charmander’s empty nest, ears twitching.

“—can’t form a Seeker team by myself! That’s ridiculous! I’m strong enough for E-rank missions _at least_.”

“Tobias,” Maggie’s voice sighs, much quieter. “You know that you can’t be the sole member of an exploration team. It’s safety protocol.”

“It’s stupid, is what it is,” Tobias growls, slightly quieter.

“Have you tried speaking with anyone in the guild about creating a team with you? Or perhaps about joining an existing one?”

There’s a moment of silence, and even Nia can feel its weight in her half-awake state.

“Yeah. No one wants me,” he rasps, just loud enough for her to hear. “You know I don’t get along with anyone here anyways.”

“Maybe if you just tried talking to them—“

“Maggie, they already decided. They decided years ago. I’ll talk to August and find some other way to start a team.”

There’s a moment of silence, and then Maggie sighs. There’s so much heartache in that simple breath. After not hearing Tobias for another minute or so, Nia decides to get up, rubbing at her eyes as she steps into Maggie’s quarters. The floral Pokémon is reading through a slip of paper, but looks up as Nia yawns.

“Good morning, dear,” Maggie says, using a vine to stroke back the messy fur on the riolu’s head.

Nia takes a moment to relish the feeling, her eyes slipping closed. It’s...soothing. Something about it feels familiar and comforting, and an unexpected jab of homesickness hits her in the chest.

Taking a shaky breath, Nia glances around to distract herself. “Tobias is gone?”

“Mm.”

“He…can’t find a partner.”

Maggie stills. “You heard that, then. Sorry for waking you.”

Nia shakes her head. “I-It’s fine. Can he form a team if he can’t find a Pokémon to be his partner?”

Maggie doesn’t answer, and that tells the riolu everything she needs to know. The meganium sets aside the paper she’d been reading, rubbing at her face with a vine instead. “That boy’s pushed away just about every Pokémon in the guild. It doesn’t surprise me that no one wants to form a team with him, with how he treats them.”

Nia looks up at Maggie, head tilted. The older Pokémon sounds so uncharacteristically frustrated.

“He needs to learn to act like a decent Pokémon, show some patience and empathy,” she goes on, shaking her head. “He’s kind, really he is, but he’s just so caught up in his own emotions and his own grief, always thinking that other Pokémon are out to get him. I thought he’d heal more than he has over the years, maybe learn to let others in, but...” she trails off.

For a moment, Nia wonders if Maggie has forgotten that she’s here, standing quietly at her feet. But then the meganium looks at her with tired eyes.

“Apologies, Nia. I’m just worried about him. Ignore this old Pokemon’s ramblings.”

“I get it,” Nia murmurs. “Have you looked into some sort of grief counseling for him?” She doesn’t know exactly what went down in Tobias’ past to make him so bitter, but she can take a few guesses. If her namesake Pokemon discovered a new form of emotional therapy, surely Pokemon have something like grief counseling figured out, too.

Maggie looks surprised that she would know about something like that, or maybe just that she would suggest it. Then, she sinks to the ground, nodding. “He refuses to talk to anyone about it. I’ve tried reading books about coping methods and applying them myself, but he’s still so…hurt. So lost.”

Nia frowns, turning to look thoughtfully at the doorway and out into the hall. Lost. She thinks she can understand that feeling, at least in some way. She thinks back to her and Tobias’ most recent conversation in the cafeteria. They’d almost had a civil interaction with one another. She’d asked a question and he’d answered without biting her head off. Kind of. And the more she thinks about it, the more appealing the thought of becoming a Seeker is.

Maybe...she could help.

“I could be his partner,” Nia whispers, trying the thought out loud.

Maggie’s head snaps up, antennae raised in surprise. “Come again?”

Nia cringes under the meganium’s bewilderment, but offers up the idea once more. “I-I could be his partner?”

“Now hang on, dear, I know you’re just trying to help, but this is a big commitment you’re signing up for. You know how Tobias can get—he’s not an easy Pokémon to get along with, let alone to have as your partner.”

Nia frowns. She’s not just doing this as some sort of self-sacrificing need to be helpful! Okay, sure, maybe she does want to help a little bit, but she knows what she’s getting herself into here. Barbed words and remarks, someone who she needs to be able to trust with her life but hardly trusts not to shove her down the guild’s staircase when she asks too many questions. Someone who probably hates her guts.

And yet...Nia can’t help thinking that maybe this is the answer they’ve all been looking for. If Nia is going to become a Seeker and find the answers she needs, she’s going to need a partner who knows what they’re doing and who will push her to get better. Tobias needs a teammate willing to put up with his attitude, and Maggie wants her adopted grandson to try something new and conquer his past. This could be the solution to all of their problems.

Of course, it could also go horribly, terribly wrong.

When Nia comes back to the present, she has a hand at her chin and feels Maggie’s gaze boring into her head. “Do you think it’s a terrible idea?” Nia asks, looking up to the meganium. “Honestly.”

Maggie looks conflicted. “For Tobias, any willing partner is a great thing. As much as I would miss him and fear for his safety, becoming a Seeker could help him in so many ways.”

“But?”

“But...” Maggie reaches out a vine, placing it on Nia’s shoulder and giving her a squeeze. “I would worry about you. Tobias is a good Pokemon deep down, but he is _sharp_ and sorely lacking in sympathy. I fear you would be miserable as his partner.”

Nia feels her ears pin back, eyes flicking away to stare at the floor.

“You two would spend almost every day together, sometimes all day and night,” Maggie goes on, tone serious. “And as much as I want to believe that someone like you could help him soften up, I wouldn’t want your own feelings to be a casualty in the process.”

Maybe...maybe this _is_ a bad idea. Nia can hardly handle the charmander now without crying or cowering away, and she’s only been interacting with him in short bursts for less than a week. Could she really handle him as her partner? Someone to be around constantly? Does she _want_ to? Obviously he wouldn’t want her as his partner, but he seems pretty restricted in his options. To the logical part of her brain, it kind of sounds like the worst plan in the world.

And yet, something in Nia recognized the vulnerability in Tobias’ eyes when he came back from the outlaw board with shaking hands. She can’t help recalling his frequent soft spot towards Maggie, as much as he tries to hide it. Their somewhat civil conversation in the cafeteria earlier. Her small sense of victory the one or two times she’s gotten him to look anything near amused instead of constantly angry at the world. The desperation in his voice when he was speaking to Maggie just minutes ago about needing a partner.

Maybe she trusts her gut too much, maybe she lets her heart rule too often over her head, maybe she’s even got some sort of savior complex. But before she can overthink it, Nia looks back up to Maggie with determined eyes. “I’m going to ask to be his partner.”

Maggie’s face goes slack with surprise, and then—to Nia’s shock—she starts to laugh, throwing her head back.

“Wh-What?” Nia asks.

“Nothing,” Maggie says as her laughter dies down. She looks down at the riolu with a fond expression, expression much more at peace. “I simply agree with your decision all of a sudden.”

Nia tilts her head, and the meganium smiles. “Dear, I haven’t seen you look so fired up the entire week you’ve been here. Your mind is made up, and I bet that I have as much hope to change it as I do Tobias’ own stubbornness. Maybe you two will be better for each other than we think.”

Nia doesn’t know how to respond to that, but at least she feels reassured that Maggie is on her side. Next, she just needs to convince Tobias.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobias needs to form a Seeker team, and he won’t take no for an answer. Even if that means disobeying his guild leader.

“Give me one good reason why I can’t form a solo team,” Tobias growls, trying to sound respectful even as embers flutter from his mouth with each breath.

August sighs, the rillaboom looking less like a majestic leader and more like an exasperated parent. “Tobias, you cannot be a solo team, as the word ‘team’ itself implies more than one member.”

Verene bites back a smile at the cheeky response, and Tobias sends the lurantis a glare.

“That’s not the point,” he grumbles.

“The _point_ ,” August says. “Is that Seekers work in teams of two or more as a matter of safety. If you were to enter a dangerous situation alone and became injured, there would be no Pokémon there to help you.”

“We have rescue badges!”

“That have the possibility of malfunctioning and can’t be activated at all if you’re unconscious,” August counters, red eyes sharp.

Tobias takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, blowing it out as a cloud of smoke through his nose. “I made it out of the forest dungeon just fine.”

“Nia was with you,” August points out.

“But she didn’t _do_ anything! I did all the fighting and I didn’t even get hurt!”

“And what if next time you aren’t so lucky?” August asks. “I’m not trying to downplay your skills, Tobias, but escaping one low level dungeon does not make a Seeker.”

“Tobias,” Verene cuts in, tone carefully neutral. “What is this really about? You know we can’t grant you Seeker status on your own. Why not join an existing team? There are plenty of teams in the guild with only two or three members.”

Tobias doesn’t meet her eyes, feeling shame and anger bubble together in his stomach. There’s a moment of silence, and then August takes mercy on him, voice unbearably soft. “Why don’t you see if you can make amends with some of the Pokémon in the guild, Tobias? Maybe in time one of them will welcome you into their team.”

Tobias swallows back a sharp retort, feeling tears sting his eyes. He nods once, curtly. “Yes, sir.”

“Then you are dismissed,” Verene says, voice uncertain. Right, she’s only been here for about a year. She wouldn’t know quite how “troubled” he is yet. Well, he’s sure August will catch her up.

Feeling a thousand times worse than he had when he’d stepped into the guildmaster’s quarters, Tobias leaves and stalks down the hallway. He sniffs back tears, swiping angrily at his eyes.

Stupid rules. So what if he wants to risk his own safety on a solo team? He’s an adult. It’s his life, he can decide that for himself. It’s not like he’d be hurting anyone else. If he could just show them that he could take care of himself, that he doesn’t need a partner to accomplish a mission or navigate a dungeon—

Tobias stops in his tracks, eyes growing wide. Of course. He...he _could_ prove that he could handle missions on his own. If he completes enough missions alone, unofficially, then there’s no way anyone could stop him from creating a Seeker team! Technically August _could,_ but at least then Tobias would have an actual argument. The charmander’s heartrate picks up, and his walk speeds up too, then transitions into a run. He knows this is reckless, that he might just get into more trouble than before without even getting a pass. He probably will, in fact.

He doesn’t care. He’s desperate, and he knows it. Tobias needs to become a Seeker. He has no other option.

Tobias hops down the stairs, careful not to trip, and catalogues what he could take with him. He can’t risk going to the medical ward in case he bumps into Maggie, and since he’s not an official Seeker he can’t pick up items from the storage floor without someone getting suspicious…

Looks like he’s doing this without items. Or teammates. He’s going solo with just his own moves, and he has no rescue badge in case things go awry. Great. Fine. He’s got this. He’s _not_ afraid—he’ll be _fine_ —and he’s _not_ imagining the fear on Maggie’s face if she discovers him gone first, if he doesn’t make it back—

“Stop it,” he growls to himself. “You were fine last time. You’ll be fine this time.”

He finally arrives at the bottom floor, and pauses at the stairwell entrance to peek inside the giant space of the departure floor. There are only a few Pokémon milling about, moving from board to board and talking amongst themselves about the missions posted there.

Tobias tries to look casual as he walks over to the E-rank board, scanning the available missions. Delivering items to Pokémon in the forest, helping elderly Pokémon clean up fallen branches, taking a bidoof on a tour of the guild...

None of these will make him look capable. Luca could handle these tasks! Tobias casts another wary glance around, then slips over to the D-rank board, fingers crossed that these listings will be a bit more respectable. Sparring practice, looking for a lost item—ah!

Tobias reaches out and snags the paper off the board, eagerly scanning through it. A roselia and their friend, a teddiursa, stumbled into the same mystery dungeon that Tobias and Nia got stuck in. The two Pokemon were separated, and while the roselia had found their way out, the teddiursa has yet to return.

Perfect.

Tobias goes to fold up the paper and take it along, but hesitates. Usually, when Seekers take a job, they just input the code on the job listing into their badge to note that they’re taking the mission, and leave the posting up so other teams can also take the job in case of failure. He doesn’t doubt himself (he _doesn’t_ ), but he also doesn’t want to be the cause of an innocent Pokemon remaining trapped in a dangerous mystery dungeon.

The charmander crinkles the paper in thought, but then sighs and pins the page back up. He’ll just have to get the client’s name so they can vouch for his success when he’s done. He turns to go, feeling excitement begin to replace his nerves, but jumps back with a startled sound, slamming into the board.

Nia jumps too. “S-Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

Tobias clutches his heart, glaring at the riolu. Then he registers that she’s here, and his gut turns to ice water. How long has she been here?

“What’re you doing down here?” He asks, wary.

“Oh! I, uh, wanted to talk to you, actually.”

Tobias’ eyes flick past the riolu, looking around to make sure no one’s paying them any attention. Did she see him looking at the message board? She does look nervous, but she always looks nervous, so that’s not saying much. Either way, he’s relieved that she didn’t catch him holding the job listing.

“Talk about what?” He asks.

“W-Well, uh...Can we go somewhere more private?”

“Why?”

Nia shifts uncomfortably. “I-I, um…I wanted to ask you something, b-but I think we need to talk first, and I’d rather there not be so many other people around, so...”

Okay, Tobias has no clue what Nia is looking to talk to him about that’s so weirdly secretive, but he doesn’t have time for it. He has a mission to accomplish.

“Look, I’m kind of busy, so it’ll have to wait.” He shoulders past the timid riolu, expecting her to just leave him be as he walks away. Instead, she hurries to catch up to him, and he sees her glancing between him and the board they just left.

“W-Where are you going?” She asks. Tobias can’t tell if he’s imagining the suspicion in her tone or not.

“I’m just gathering some herbs, okay? _Alone_.”

The riolu takes the hint and slows to a stop. Tobias thinks he can feel her eyes on his back as he takes the nearest tunnel into the forest, and he really hopes that she won’t mention him leaving to Maggie.

If he remembers correctly, this route doesn’t have a guard this time of day, thanks to how well the entrance is hidden, and he doesn’t need a ground type to guide him through solid earth either. It’s one of the better exits for sneaking away undetected. He travels quickly through the dimly lit underground, remembering Nia’s comment and grudgingly admitting that the crystals are rather pretty. It takes him maybe ten minutes to make the trek, and when he emerges in the forest, climbing out from a crack in a hollow tree, he takes a moment to recall which direction to take to the mystery dungeon. Then he sets off, eyes peeled for any useful berries or herbs he may find on the way.

The forest is peaceful today, with sunny warmth dappling the undergrowth and the distant calls of Pokémon giving the environment a quaint feeling. Still, Tobias feels himself slowly grow more and more on edge as he travels, knowing what he’s willingly walking into. Sure, he fought his way through the exact same dungeon not even a week ago, but he’s not so stupid as to underestimate the chaotic nature of mystery dungeons completely. He’s heard enough stories to know that the same dungeon can be a quaint stroll one day and a death trap the next. The tides can turn in an instant.

Sooner than he would like, and with only a single apple to his name, Tobias recognizes his arrival to the mystery dungeon. There’s no flashing sign or obvious entrance; the forest ahead of him looks nearly identical to the trees he’d just passed through. But he knows this is it. The air feels...thick. Heavy. Almost tingly on his skin. And every time he blinks, the path ahead of him seems to shift and change, ever so slightly. He thinks he can hear a wild snarl come from deeper within the brush.

Tobias takes a deep breath to steel his nerves, holds his apple closer, and steps into the mystery dungeon. Immediately, the environment feels...off. Just like last time, the plant life seems almost sentient, shifting and changing in subtle ways to box him into a maze of foliage, weaving itself into shapes like walls and rooms. He already hears Pokémon moving about through the undergrowth, and can’t deny the tension in his shoulders as he moves forward.

Focus, Tobias. Stairs, you’re looking for the stairs. According to the job posting, Teddiursa should be somewhere on the 5th floor, near the end of the dungeon, so he needs to focus on moving forward. He rounds a corner of dense tree trunks and foliage, and stops, surprised to see a familiar set of crumbling stone stairs. Well, that was fast. Tobias shakes his head and climbs the stairs, still unused to the way the world shifts around him and as he reaches the top step.

Predictably, the second floor looks nearly identical to the first. Tobias only takes a moment to look around before quickly moving on down a hallway. In the next room, a lithe purple Pokémon dives out of the undergrowth in front of him. A purrloin. The Pokémon swings around to watch him with crazed, blank white eyes, baring its teeth in a snarl. Tobias takes an uneasy step back. Even though he’d fought the rattata and seedot last time he was in the dungeon, seeing a feral Pokémon up close is still more unsettling than he’d like to admit.

The purrloin hisses and launches at him with outstretched claws. Tobias makes a sloppy dodge to the side, then lunges and manages to scratch it with a metal claw attack. The purrloin brushes off the damage and darts forward to try and bite. Tobias stumbles back, feeling a jab of panic as he struggles to keep up with the speedy Pokemon and keep away from its attacks. He needs to distance it! Tobias takes a deep breath and spits a flurry of embers at its face. The purrloin shrieks and finally bounds away into the undergrowth.

Tobias stares at the spot it disappeared, fighting off a shiver of unease. He’s been practicing his fighting for years now, but it’s so different fighting actual Pokemon instead of cloth dummies. Last time he was in this dungeon he’d only had to fight two Pokemon, one of which was weak to fire type moves, but it’s only the second floor and already he has ran into a feral strong enough to need his flames. How many Pokemon can he fight off before he’s too tired to use his moves?

Tobias huffs a breath of smoke and shakes his head. He can’t turn back now, even if he wanted to.

Tobias forges on, managing to find the next set of stairs without another fight, but he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that he’d dropped his apple in the scuffle with the purrloin. As he carefully navigates the third floor, picking up an oran berry he finds on the way, he runs into two more feral Pokémon. The first is a wurmple who falls unconscious after an ember attack and a whack from Tobias’ tail. The second is a lotad who clips his arm with a bubble attack that leaves the skin stinging and singed. He manages to send the little grass and water type packing with a few swipes of his claws, but even he recognizes his exhaustion by time he reaches the stairs that lead to the fourth floor.

Tobias takes a moment to rest, sitting down and leaning against the side of the stone steps. He didn’t think this would be so...difficult. Last time had been tiring, but not _this_ bad. So far he’s only been hit hard once, but some part of Tobias sneers that this was an incredibly stupid idea. Which he knew already, but still. He has...what? Two more floors until he even finds the teddiursa?

He looks down at the oran berry in his claws, rolling it around thoughtfully. The bubble wound on his arm stings, but...maybe he should save the berry in case he really needs it. He nods and stands back up. Onwards, then. He can’t stop here.

Tobias takes the steps and is warped to the next floor. Twisted, maze-like greenery and shifting sunlight sprawls in every direction. It would be beautiful if he didn’t feel the danger breathing down his neck like a houndoom.

He decides to head left, and immediately regrets it as a feral pidgey screeches and dives at his head, pecking gouges into his scales. Tobias snarls, trying to bat the feathery annoyance away, and finally resorts to shooting a cloud of embers straight up.

They drift down like a fiery rain, and the Pidgey flutters back to avoid getting burned. Tobias takes his chance to lock on to the bird and leap up, managing to snag it out of the air with his claws and slam it into the ground. Before it can fight back, Tobias spews another breath of embers directly onto it, stepping back when he’s sure it’s unconscious. 

He stands up, panting, and winces as he prods at the cuts on his head and arms. Where did he put that oran berry? The charmander groans as he spots it, sitting in the grass and charred from his little ember move earlier. Great. He eats it anyways, but has a feeling it doesn’t heal him as much as it should. Still, his cuts seal up and stop bleeding, and his bubble burn dies down to an ache. Tobias moves on, trying to tell himself that the roar of blood in his ears is just from adrenaline and not fear. He’s fine, he’s doing fine. He’ll just try to avoid any more Pokémon if he can.

He makes it to the room with the staircase, nearly sprinting to the stone steps, when something snags his feet. He faceplants into the grass hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. What in the..? He looks down at his feet to see a sticky cord of white wrapped around his ankles. String shot?

The charmander looks up in time to see a weedle charging at him, stinger raised. Any other time, he would laugh at the idea of a weedle of all things challenging him to a battle. But here and now, he feels a jolt of panic. If he gets poisoned, he’s done for. He tries to stand, but the string shot is surprisingly strong, hardly even stretching as he tries to tear it away. The weedle lunges for him, and he rolls out of the way, immediately looking back to his bindings. Maybe his fire would work.

He blows a plume of embers onto the string, relief ballooning in his chest as they melt. Tobias springs to his feet just in time to punt the weedle away from him, watching it tumble into the undergrowth. The gooey remains of the string shot are still stuck to his feet, but he takes his chance, bolting for the stairs and racing up them.

There! This should be the fifth floor, right? He sure hopes so. The teddiursa should be around here somewhere. He can grab them, find the last staircase, and then head home! Tobias takes a moment to breathe, then wanders down a hallway to the right.

When he steps into the next room, he’s surprised to see something bright orange sitting in the middle of it. What is that? Some sort of item? The charmander looks around warily, then steps closer to investigate. Just as he crouches to pick the item up—a scarf?—something beneath his foot shifts and clicks. Tobias freezes as pink smoke hisses out of the grass. It quickly cuts off any visibility, before dissipating just as fast. When it does, Tobias’ heart drops to his toes.

Four or five Pokémon surround him, all feral. They immediately lunge at him with a terrifying jumble of cries. Tobias curses and rolls out of the way, still getting grazed on the side by something sharp before trying to make a run for the hallway.

Something wraps around his arms, yanking him backwards. He falls hard onto his back, struggling as two vines reel him back into the room across grass and dirt. He shoots a cloud of embers over his shoulder, and the vines hurry to release him. He scrambles to his feet and turns, and he has just a heartbeat to recognize the Pokémon he’s facing: an aipom, an electrike, a starly, a snivy and a wurmple. Then, the electrike and the starly are darting forward, the flying type flickering out of view and slamming into his chest with a quick attack.

Tobias cries out as he’s sent tumbling back. He hardly has time to catch his breath and squint an eye open before the electrike crashes into him with an electricity-charged spark. Tobias slams into the room’s wall, wheezing and struggling to push himself up onto his arms. He...he has to move, has to get up. Run. He can’t get knocked out here. No one knows where he is, no one even knows he’s gone, they’ll never find him in time!

He can’t die. Maggie would be heartbroken. He still has to catch the outlaw trio, and he...he has so much to do. The charmander feels his arms give out, and tears blur his vision.

He’s such an idiot. August was right.

The snivy hisses, and Tobias squeezes his eyes shut, trying one more time to move to his feet, with no luck. He hopes he blacks out quickly.

_“Tobias!_

He knows that voice, but he’s never heard it like that, so loud and sharp. Tobias blinks open his eyes, just in time to see a familiar blue and black shape step in front of him. Over her shoulder, worried ruby eyes glance down at him before moving back to the ferals. Tobias blinks, again and again, but she’s still there. Her fur is ruffled and scraped up, and even from his position on the ground he can see that she’s shaking, with fear or exhaustion or both. But she’s there.

“Nia?” He rasps.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia shows up just in time, and when she makes an offer Tobias can’t refuse he must decide whether it’s worth putting his trust in the riolu.

“Tobias!” Nia sounds relieved, but doesn’t look away from the feral Pokemon surrounding them. “Thank God. Are you okay?”

“Just fantastic,” he grumbles, wishing he had enough energy to give her a sarcastic thumbs-up.

Nia opens her mouth to respond, then tenses up and turns towards the aipom trying to edge closer to the two of them. For the first time he notices that she’s brandishing a large…branch? She’s holding it out in front of her, like a Farfetch’d with its leek. The feral Pokémon look as puzzled as Tobias feels, eyeing the riolu and her makeshift weapon cautiously.

“W-Will either of these help?” Nia asks, throwing her paw behind her. Two berries bounce across the grass near Tobias’ face, one of them a pecha and the other one— _yes!_

Tobias hurries to scoop the oran berry into his mouth, swallowing it nearly whole and feeling his body start to rejuvenate. His aches and bruises fade, his energy returns, and he pushes himself up from the ground, rising onto unsteady feet with his claws flexed and ready to fight.

Nia glances at him with round eyes. “The berries helped that much?”

“’Course,” Tobias growls, feeling a grin edge onto his face. He hates to admit it, but just having another Pokémon at his side makes him feel more confident. “You ready to fight?”

“N-Not at all, but…” Nia shifts her defensive stance, turning her body and holding the branch up at the ready. “I guess w-we don’t have much of a choice, right?”

The starly starts off the fight, lunging forward with another quick attack. Before Tobias can react, Nia yelps, swinging the branch forward to _whack_ the flying type. The starly shoots over the ferals and into the dungeon wall with a pitiful chirp, falling limply to the ground. Tobias gapes and looks at Nia.

The riolu is staring at her paws with just as much shock. “Guess all that Little League paid off.”

The electrike and the aipom charge next, and Nia leaps away from the electric type with a scared yip. Tobias takes the aipom head-on, dodging its claws and spinning to slam his tail into its body. It staggers back with a pained sound, but Tobias doesn’t let up. He follows it with one metal claw, two, and finishes it off by blasting it with a plume of embers.

The aipom goes down, unconscious, only for the electrike to crash into his gut, knocking the breath out of him. He stays on his feet, but skids to a stop against the wall of bark and foliage. He pushes off it and out of the way of the electrike’s next strike, grinning as it crashes face-first into the wall.

“T-Tobias!” Nia cries.

The charmander turns to find the riolu kicking halfheartedly at the wurmple and simultaneously fighting the snivy in a game of tug-of-war for her branch. Tobias hurries over to blow a cloud of embers at the snivy, and it releases the branch with a cry of pain.

“Elec!”

Tobias whirls and stumbles out of the way of the electrike’s spark attack just in time, but it manages to catch Nia, knocking her into the wall.

“Hey!” Tobias snarls.

The electrike snarls back, and Tobias tackles it. The two of them roll, Tobias managing to pin the green Pokémon down. He takes a deep breath, reaching deep into his fire reserves, and then shoots an ember attack at the electrike’s face. It yelps and falls limp.

Tobias struggles to his feet, breathing hard. He turns just in time to see Nia swing her branch with her entire body, batting the wurmple into the air. It lands with a quiet thump, rolling across the dirt, and doesn’t get back up.

Then the snivy lunges at Nia, vines ripping the branch out of the riolu’s paws, and she stumbles forward. The snivy takes its opportunity to headbutt Nia directly in the face. The riolu cries out in pain, crumpling into a ball and clutching at her nose.

Tobias takes the opportunity, rushing forward to strike with two metal-coated claws and catch the snivy in the back. The grass type stumbles, then falls forward with a quiet, “Snive!” It’s out cold.

Tobias takes a moment to glance at the five Pokémon lying around them, unconscious. The only sounds are the blood roaring in his ears and the gasping, panting breaths of the two of them. They…they really did it. It’s over. They survived. He’s not sure whether he’s feeling triumphant or just relieved.

Nia’s quiet whimper catches his attention, and he kneels at her side, his medic training kicking in. “Hey, sit up. C’mon.”

The riolu slowly obeys, covering her muzzle with shaking hands. Tears are bubbling in her eyes, and a tiny hiccup jolts her frame.

“Lemme see,” Tobias murmurs, prying at her paws. When she doesn’t listen, he rolls his eyes. “I mostly handle herbs but I’m still a trained medic. I know what I’m doing. Come on.”

The riolu hesitantly drops her paws, and Tobias winces. Blood runs down from her nose, dripping off her chin and coating the front of her muzzle. He gently takes her face in his hands, turning her head to take a look at her snout from the side. It doesn’t look broken.

“Probably just bruised,” he reassures her, leaning back. “Getting smashed in the face like that’ll definitely cause some bleeding.”

Nia nods, looking around nervously at the unconscious ferals. “A-Are they..?”

“Knocked out,” Tobias confirms, a note of pride in his voice. They took down five other Pokémon! Sure, he needed Nia’s help to do it, but—

“Wait. Why’re you even here?” Tobias asks, narrowing his eyes at the riolu. “How did you know where I was going?”

Nia shrinks into herself. “W-Well, I saw you looking at the job board and I know you’re having trouble forming a Seeker team, s-so I thought you might try something like this.”

“And you followed me because you didn’t think I could handle it on my own,” he growls.

“I-I just wanted to make sure you’d be okay,” Nia protests, frowning. “You wouldn’t have been if hadn’t shown up!”

“Because of a fluke! I stepped on a trap—that’s all! I would’ve been fine on my own!”

Nia’s frown deepens, and for a moment Tobias thinks she’s going to argue. But all she does is push off the grass, picking up her branch on the way. She wipes at her eyes as she looks from hallway to hallway. “Right now w-we have to focus on getting out of here, right?”

Tobias huffs out a breath of smoke, grabbing the item that started this whole situation—a simple attack scarf. “I’m looking for a teddiursa that got stuck in here. They should be on this floor somewhere.”

“A…teddiursa?”

“Fuzzy orange Pokemon with a yellow moon on its forehead. ‘Bout our size, stands on two legs.”

“G-Got it.” Nia nods and looks at him expectantly.

Tobias steps past her and stalks down the hallway, hearing her trail behind him. He’s not happy about her following him into the dungeon because she thought he couldn’t handle it on his own, but it’d be stupid to separate now.

The two of them continue through the dungeon, and Tobias is secretly relieved to find the floor empty of ferals after the brutal fight they just went through. When they enter one of the last rooms on the floor and see a small teddiursa curled up in the corner, crying, Tobias lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Nia hurries to the Pokémon’s side, concern etched into every line of her body. Unfortunately, the teddiursa lifts their head to see a Pokémon with a blood-covered muzzle, and immediately starts to wail with renewed panic.

Tobias rolls his eyes. “Stop crying. We’re here to rescue you.”

Nia shoots him a disapproving look for his callous tone, but the teddiursa quiets.

“W-Wait. Really?” They ask, giving Nia a cautious glance.

The riolu offers a meek smile, ears pinned back bashfully. “Y-Yeah. Sorry for the, uh, rough appearance. Got into a bit of trouble on the way here.”

The teddiursa hops to their feet, looking elated even with tear-stained fur. “That’s okay! Thank you so much for coming to rescue me!”

“No problem!” Nia says, her cheery tone a ridiculous contrast to the blood smeared across her face.

Tobias snorts. “Well, come on then. You can walk, right? We still have to get out of here.”

Teddiursa brings their paws up to their mouth, looking confused. “But don’t you have badges that zap you out of dungeons?”

“Ours broke,” Tobias lies, already turning and heading down the next hallway. “So we’re doing this the old-fashioned way.”

Nia looks like she wants to protest the lie, but teddiursa buys it easily enough, nodding and following his lead. The little normal type is mostly quiet as they walk, too busy jumping at every little sound to chat. Luckily, their group finds the stairs in the next room, leading them to the final sixth floor. They’re searching for the last staircase out of the dungeon when a lone caterpie jumps out to attack them. Tobias has no fire left, but between his claws and a panicked swing of Nia’s branch, the battle is quickly won. They move on, and Teddiursa pipes up.

“Riolu? Do you mind me asking why you fight with a branch?”

It takes a moment too long for Nia to realize that the teddiursa is talking to her. “O-Oh! Well, uh…” Her eyes flick over to Tobias for help, but he just shrugs. He’s as curious as Teddiursa is.

Nia is spared from having to answer as the last staircase comes into sight. “Look! There it is!”

The three of them hurry to the stairs, Teddiursa taking them first and vanishing at the top. Tobias and Nia follow. As soon as the warping is finished, Tobias can immediately tell that they’re out of the mystery dungeon. He feels like he can breathe again, and the plant life around them only moves with the breeze, stationary and calm.

“Finally!” Nia groans, collapsing onto the grass. “W-We’re out, right?”

“Yeah,” Tobias sighs, relieved and resisting the urge to curl up among the ferns to sleep for a year.

“C-Can we head back to the guild now?” Teddiursa asks. “I want to see my friend.”

Tobias nods, carefully skirting around the edge of the mystery dungeon and heading towards the towering tree that is the guild. He hears Nia and the teddiursa follow him. It seems like it takes forever to make their way through the woods (he notices Nia jumping at small sounds more than once), and by time they make it to one of the tunnels and walk all the way back to the message boards, Tobias feels asleep on his feet. To his surprise, they almost immediately bump into a roselia who is pacing near the D-rank board with tears in her eyes.

“Blimah!” Teddiursa cries, running forward.

The roselia turns and sobs, scooping the teddiursa into a hug. “Jordan! I was so scared they’d never find you!”

“Aw, don’t be silly! Of course they did!” The teddiursa says, burying their face in the flower Pokémon’s petals. Tobias is a bit impressed by the normal type’s strong front, considering how upset they’d been when he and Nia had found them in the dungeon. When the two Pokémon release each other, Nia looks like she’s about to cry too, smiling a wobbly smile.

“W-Well, I don’t know why the guild didn’t notify me, but I’m just happy you’re back.” The roselia turns to Tobias and Nia, smiling gratefully. “Thank you so much. Here’s your reward.”

Nia blinks, looking surprised at the mention of a reward, but Tobias steps forward, accepting the offered sack with a nod of thanks.

The teddiursa smiles at them one last time as the roselia turns to go. “Thank you again! I don’t think I ever asked. What’s your team name?”

Oh no. Tobias blanks, exchanging a panicked glance with Nia. When the riolu opens her mouth, he knows they’re in trouble.

“Team Wombat! Y-Yup, that’s us.”

Tobias feels like slamming his head into the job board.

Teddiursa looks puzzled, but offers a polite smile and says, “Interesting name! Well, I’ll see you around!”

The two Pokémon leave, and Tobias sends Nia a dry look. “You’re dead to me.”

Nia’s ears pin back, clearly flustered. “I panicked, okay! Do you even know what wombats are?”

Tobias snorts. “No, but they sound dumb.”

Nia looks down at her paws, mumbling. “The Wombats was my Little League team, okay? First thing I thought of.”

After saying that, the riolu’s head snaps up, eyes wide.

Tobias stares back at her. “What?”

“I remembered my Little League team name so I thought maybe my memory came back,” Nia whimpers, entire body drooping. “Of everything, _that’s_ what I remembered?”

The charmander ignores Nia’s dramatic despair, suddenly realizing how out in the open they are, clearly roughed up from their excursion. He snatches the roselia’s request letter off the board and grabs Nia’s wrist, leading her back into one of the tunnels. This route’s hardly ever used since its exit has been closed up by storms over and over, so hopefully no one else shows up while they’re in here. Nia doesn’t fight against Tobias’ lead, and when they’re far enough in the tunnels, he plops down on the ground, leaning against a large, smooth crystal.

“There. Hopefully no one’ll see us here.”

Nia tilts her head at him, looking concerned. “S-So I’m guessing if someone found out we went into a mystery dungeon on purpose without being Seekers…”

“We’d be in huge trouble,” Tobias says, nodding and dumping out the sack they received from the roselia. Huh. Two oran berries and a heal seed. Nice. He rolls one of the berries towards Nia. “Eat this.”

The riolu grabs the berry, holding it up to her face to see it better in the dim lighting.

“It’s an oran berry, not poison,” he drawls. “Like the one you gave me earlier.”

Nia’s mouth drops into an “O” of realization, and then she eats the berry in two big bites, shivering as it takes effect. She holds up her arm, watching in amazement as the cuts and scrapes there stitch themselves back together. Not completely, of course, but mostly. They’re at least at the scabbing stage.

“That’s incredible,” she breathes.

“They’re definitely handy to have around,” he agrees, eating his own oran berry and feeling it take effect. He pockets the heal seed in his scarf and frowns down at the attack scarf. He already has his own scarf, and there’s no way he’s getting rid of it.

“Do you want this?” Tobias asks, lifting the item.

“A…scarf?”

“An attack scarf,” he clarifies. “If you wear it, it boosts your strength. It’d be helpful for you, since most of your moves are physical.”

“O-Oh. Um. Sure. Thank you.” Nia takes the light orange scarf and holds it up to rest awkwardly on the fluffy collar of fur around her neck.

Tobias raises a brow. “You don’t have to wear it around your neck. You can wear it anywhere you want, as long as it’s touching your body.”

Nia nods thoughtfully, folding the material up before setting it aside. Then, the two of them look at each other in the gentle blue light of the crystals. Tobias isn’t sure what she’s thinking, but he definitely has some questions for her.

“Why’d you follow me into a mystery dungeon instead of telling Maggie where I was going?” He asks.

The riolu’s brow furrows, but she holds his gaze. “I…I didn’t know for sure if you were going somewhere to take on a mission, but I didn’t want to get you in trouble. By time I realized you were, um…going into the mystery dungeon, I-I was afraid it would be too late for me to run back for help.”

Tobias feels something in his gut twist uncomfortably. If she had done that, he might be dead. Not that he’d ever admit that.

“You were afraid of getting me in trouble?” He asks, suspicious. “Why?”

Nia’s gaze slides away to look at the luminescent stones and leaves. She shrugs. “You seem like you’re already going through enough. I didn’t want to make it worse.”

“You didn’t tell Maggie about me ditching you, either.”

Nia’s mouth curls into a surprisingly mischievous smile. “What, you think I’m a snitch? You made it pretty clear you didn’t want to be around me. I found my way.”

Tobias can’t decide whether he believes her or not, but puts that aside for the moment. “Next question,” he says, leaning back against the crystal. “What’s with the branch?”

Nia blinks. She’d left the stick out in the forest on their way back, but now he almost wonders if she wants it back, with the way her paws twitch in her lap.

“I-It’s, um…easier for me to use that than my own body,” she says, slowly, as if she’s working it out for herself, too. “To fight, at least. I’m not used to fighting, and humans…well, I don’t think I ever really got into fights as a human, but a lot of humans use w-weapons to fight, instead of their own bodies. The branch just felt like a baseball bat. More comfortable for me.”

Tobias hums, not quite understanding but getting that it’s apparently a human instinct. Weird.

The charmander opens his mouth again, but Nia cuts him off with a raised finger. “U-Um. Could I ask a question?”

Tobias feels irritated about being cut off, but grumbles, “Fine.”

“D-Do you believe that I used to be human?”

Of everything Tobias expected her to ask, that was not it. He frowns at her. “Why does it matter?”

“Because it’s a really important part of who I am and if you don’t believe that, th-then…” she trails off, looking frustrated that she can’t quite find the right words.

“I…kind of believe that _you_ believe you were human,” Tobias says, carefully. Nia meets his conflicted expression with her own. “After spending a few days around you, and seeing how you fight, you definitely don’t seem like a normal Pokémon. But I don’t know how a normal human acts, either.”

Nia doesn’t look satisfied with that answer, but she doesn’t say anything else. They’re both quiet for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts, when Nia asks in a quiet voice, “Do you hate me?”

Tobias’ head whips up. “What? No.” He frowns at her doubtful expression. “I… didn’t give you much of a chance, but that’s just sorta…how I am. Pokemon don’t get along with me, so I’ve just stopped trying to get along with them.”

“That seems like a lonely mindset to have,” Nia murmurs.

Tobias scowls and looks away. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

They both fall silent.

“W-Would you like to form a Seeker team?” Nia eventually asks, voice somehow strong and shaky all at once. “With me?”

Tobias stares at her, shocked into silence. She’s joking, right? But the riolu just stares back at him with serious red eyes.

“Why would you want to form a Seeker team?” He asks.

“To find out more about my past. About the other humans turned into Pokémon, like me.” She looks down at her paws. “I want to return to my old life, and e-everyone else says that becoming a Seeker is the quickest way to do that.”

Tobias squints at her. That at least makes some sense. But... “You want to form a team with… _me_.”

“Y-Yes. If you want to.”

“Why?”

Nia must hear the disbelief in his tone, because she laughs. “I’m not convinced you’re as scary as you make yourself out to be.”

Tobias scoffs, not sure if he’s irritated or amused by her sudden boldness. “Yeah, you’ve seen me half-dead in the dirt. Hard to come back from that.”

Nia gives him a tiny smile and holds out a paw. “What do you think? Want to form a Seeker team?”

Tobias pauses, staring down at the offered paw, and then looking back up at the riolu. At the “human-turned-Pokemon” who has been causing him grief since the moment she arrived. Who didn’t rat him out when he ditched her. She’s clueless and timid and chatty—annoyingly so—but she also followed him into a mystery dungeon and saved his life armed with a branch of all things.

He didn’t want to have to team up with _anyone_ , but this might be his one chance to actually become a Seeker and hunt down the trio of outlaws. Tobias makes it a rule not to trust other Pokémon, barring the very select few who have earned it, but…he figures if anyone has at least earned themselves a chance, it’s Nia.

He reaches out and takes her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There won't be a chapter next week (Sunday, December 6th) due to finals crushing my entire being! Regular updates will resume the week after.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia and Tobias officially form their Seekers team and run into a Pokemon familiar to the both of them. Nia is thrilled about this development. Tobias? Not so much.

Nia can hardly believe this is happening. She’s part of a Seekers team now, and one with Tobias at that! The charmander leads her back out of the tunnels, stopping only briefly at a shallow pool of water emerging from the cave wall at a bend.

“You need to wash off your mouth,” he explains, pointing at her bloodied nose. “If we go back with you looking like you mauled someone, Maggie’s definitely going to have questions.”

Nia uses the cool, clear water to gently scrub the dried blood off of her face, biting back a whimper at how sore her nose feels. When she’s done, she sniffs and turns to Tobias. He tilts his head and scrunches up his nose.

“I think you’re good, but clean up your fur a bit. You’re all ruffled.”

Nia almost laughs. What is he all of a sudden, her mom?

_Mom._

A lance of pain shoots through her chest. She gasps, pausing in the middle of smoothing her fur as tears spring to her eyes. Mom. When she thinks the word, her heart definitely reacts to _someone,_ almost drowning her in a wave of sorrow and longing. But she can’t place a face, can’t remember anything about her mother other than the fact that she must love her dearly.

“Uh.” Tobias is giving her a weirded-out look.

Nia opens her mouth to explain, but doesn’t want to risk the charmander just scoffing something cruel at her. Not when she’s suddenly feeling this off-balance.

“I-It’s nothing,” she mumbles, hurriedly wiping her eyes and going back to cleaning herself up. Tobias doesn’t push, rubbing at the scuffs on his own skin. Within a few minutes, they both look at each other, deeming themselves satisfactory. At least they don’t look like they just…well, fought through a mystery dungeon.

The two exit the cave and climb the staircase, up and up to the medical floor. Nia’s exhausted. Why does it have to be so close to the top? From the openings in the guild walls and the few Pokémon they pass who look like they just returned from their own missions, Nia realizes that the sun has already set, dusk painting the forest in shades of gray and purple. With how tired she feels, aches in her muscles and feet tripping over themselves more than usual, she feels like it should be midnight.

“If Maggie asks I was showing you around the forest, and that’s how we got all scratched up,” Tobias says.

“Do we have to lie to her?” Nia asks, already feeling guilty about it.

Tobias doesn’t answer for a moment. “Well, we can’t tell her the truth. She’ll freak out and probably have to tell August. No use in making her upset or getting us suspended before our first day.”

Nia supposes he’s right, but she still doesn’t like it.

When they reach their quarters, the older Pokémon is nowhere to be seen. Tobias walks over to the tiny alcove where Nia’s spotted a few berries stashed before, and pulls out an apple, taking it with him as he walks back to his nest.

Nia’s stomach rumbles. She eyes the cabinet, debating. Could...could she grab one too? This isn’t really _her_ quarters, but Maggie did tell her to make herself at home. Nia hesitantly opens the cabinet and grabs an apple of her own, glancing at Tobias and relaxing when he doesn’t even look her way. She feels like a friend at a sleepover too afraid to ask for a snack!

Nia shuffles past the charmander to grab a book from her stack and sets her new scarf beside her bed. Then, she returns to the main area where there’s more light to curl up and read.

That’s how Maggie finds them a bit later, a smile touching her face as she catches sight of the two co-existing peacefully in one room. “There you are! I’ve been wondering where you two went today.”

Nia snaps out of her reading and feels her ears pin back. “S-sorry, we, uh—“

“I was showing her around the forest,” Tobias cuts in.

“Well, next time tell an old woman if you’re heading out, all right? I was starting to get worried.”

Nia nods and Tobias grumbles, “Fine.”

Maggie opens her mouth to say something else, but pauses, leaning closer to squint at the two younger Pokémon. “How in Virizion’s name did you two get all scratched up?”

Nia freezes and prays that Tobias will answer. After a moment he does, rolling his eyes and jabbing a thumb at Nia. “Genius here got stuck in a huge bramble patch. Only found one oran berry to patch us both up.”

For a heartbeat, Maggie doesn’t look entirely convinced. But then she smiles, leaning back. “Well, I’m glad to see you two are being civil with each other, at least.” She turns to arrange a few items on her desk, casually asking, “So did you two talk about anything interesting?”

Subtle, Maggie. Nia fights back a smile. “Y-Yeah. He said yes.”

“Oh! Good, good!”

Tobias shoots Nia a confused look, so she answers, “I-I wasn’t sure I was cut out to be a Seeker, or if you’d accept. So I asked Maggie’s opinion before talking to you about it.”

Maggie turns back to the two of them with a wide, pleased smile. “I’m happy it all worked out. Have you two chosen a team name yet?”

“I don’t really care as long as it isn’t stupid,” Tobias grumbles, shooting Nia a pointed look. She ducks into herself, embarrassed all over again.

“No, we haven’t.”

“That’s fine! You two have some time. You look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet, though, and I suppose you have a big day tomorrow. Why don’t you both get some rest?”

Right on cue, Nia yawns, taking her advice and turning to go to the nests. She pauses to look back when she hears Maggie murmur, “Just a moment, Tobias.”

The meganium reaches out her vines to gently grab the charmander’s shoulders, an unbearably loving look on her face. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispers, craning her head down to touch her snout to the top of the charmander’s head. Nia expects him to wrench away, yelling. Instead he leans forward to hug her leg, just for a moment.

Nia suddenly feels like she’s intruding on something special, and hurriedly makes her way back to her nest. She settles down into it as quietly as she can, already feeling sleep drawing heavy at her eyes. A nest of soft straw and leaves isn’t the comfiest bed in the world, but right now it feels like heaven. Shortly after, Tobias follows and curls up in his own nest for the night.

“So any name ideas that _aren’t_ awful?” He asks, yawning. Nia takes a second to admire his sharp teeth and blue-gray tongue. Is that from breathing fire? Or because he’s sort of like a lizard?

“N-No, not really.”

“Well, get thinking. We need a cool one by tomorrow morning when we go to register.”

Nia doesn’t answer, looking up at the ceiling as silence descends on the two of them. Within a few minutes, Maggie covers up the window and the brightest crystals in the room with leaf shades, leaving the space almost entirely dark aside from Tobias’ flickering tail.

Names, huh? Didn’t Nia used to have something that would help her with that? Something that she could look up information on, a small device or something? Oh! A phone. Yeah. Man, what she wouldn’t give to have a phone and some service right now. Maybe then she could do some Googling on the Pokémon world, see if any human has a clue about these amazing creatures.

Heck, maybe she could even call her family.

Nia feels a lump in her throat, tears springing hot and wet to her eyes. God, she doesn’t remember them, not really, but her heart sure does. It aches. Feels heavy and painful in her chest, like it might physically be tearing in half. In all of the excitement today, she’d almost forgotten the end goal of her agreement to partner up with Tobias. She needs to get home. As amazing as this world is, she knows she has people waiting for her. A life to return to.

Nia forcibly calms her breathing and tries to think of something else before she starts crying. Team names. What could their team name be? It needs to be something good. Something that Tobias won’t argue with. She’s exhausted, but she rolls over onto her belly, grabbing her stack of books and dragging them closer. She eyes Tobias, making sure he’s asleep before scooching closer to his tail flame for light. Let’s see here...ah! There!

Nia pulls out the book of important historical figures that she adopted her own name from. There has to be a section for Seeker teams, right? Maybe she just needs some inspiration. Or at least to see what a “normal” team name would be. She flips through until she reaches a section detailing Seeker teams and members who apparently made a huge impact on the Pokémon world.

Team Bloom was a group of grass types who were the first mono-type team to reach platinum rank. Hm. Okay. Team Poppy started with a...simisear and an electrode? Were they red Pokémon, maybe? More grass types? Maybe they just really liked flowers. Team Adventure was the first team to discover a place called the Crystal Cavern in the Arabalis Mountain Range...Team Ellis was created by two Pokémon named Elliana and Kris...so names aren’t out of the running either, then. Team Ignite, Team Blue Sky, Team PokePals, Team Hawthorne, Team Maximum, Team Flying Fury...

Okay, Nia thinks she sees the pattern here. So something that sounds good with Team and is fairly succinct. Something that describes the two of them in some way, or maybe their goals. Nia quietly closes the book and pushes the stack against the wall. She glances to make sure she didn’t wake Tobias (not that he’d be quiet about it if she did) before curling back up in her own nest.

Names, names, names...

She’s asleep before she can think of a single one.

_______________________________________________________________

“Hey, wake up!”

Someone shakes her, and she buries her head further into bed, huffing. She’s warm and sleepy and getting up sounds like the last thing she wants to do.

“C’mon, we have to go get registered!”

Now recognizing Tobias’ voice, hushed but impatient, she finally opens her eyes as he shakes her harder.

“‘M awake,” she mumbles, trying to sit up. Tobias is crouched at her side, looking entirely too alert for how early it feels.

“We’ve got a lot to do today, and I’m not gonna let you laze around and sleep all morning.” He rushes out of their little alcove, and as Nia yawns and stumbles to hurry after him, she realizes the crystals of their dim room are still covered. The few patches of the walls and ceiling open to the sky are black as night. No wonder she’s so tired! How early is it?

“What time is it?” Nia asks, rubbing at her eyes and following Tobias’ tail flame to the doorway of the room.

“Shh. Maggie’s still sleeping,” he whispers back. Nia blinks and nods, following him as they walk into the hall. Even with the dim lighting of the luminescent leaves and crystals, she’s grateful for Tobias’ flame, easily giving them a halo of light to see where they’re going. Plus, it’s slightly warmer near him. The night air is a bit chilly even through her fur.

The charmander leads them out of the medical ward and down the staircase without any other preamble, and Nia doesn’t question it. She just appreciates that the walk gives her time to wake up and smooth the worst out of her pelt. They spiral down further and further until they must be near the bottom of the guild, and haven’t passed another single Pokémon on the way.

“How early even is it?” Nia asks again, whisper sounding loud in the stillness.

“A little before dawn. We need to get an early start today.”

Soon enough they reach what must be one of the last floors before going underground. They follow it inward just as the sky outside appears to be lightening to a pale blue-gray. The floor is mostly dark aside from a few crystals, but Tobias quickly leads them past a few smaller rooms where Pokémon are beginning to stir and move about.

“What floor is this?” 

Tobias glances back at her with an expression like he wished she’d shut up. “Administration area.”

Nia doesn’t ask any more questions, looking around as Tobias leads them to a particular room. Once or twice he looks like he’s not sure where he’s going, but Nia certainly isn’t going to question him aloud. Finally, they reach a doorway lit up brighter than most they’d passed. Tobias knocks on the door frame before entering.

A cutesy plant Pokemon sits at the desk inside, using slender white hands to write information down onto a stack of papers. She looks oddly human, but with large pink eyes and “hair” made of two long leaves and a stem. She glances up with a bright smile as Nia and Tobias enter, but it falters as she sees the charmander.

“Oh! Hello, Tobias,” the Pokemon chirps, clearly surprised despite her impressive Customer Service Voice. “What’re you doing here?”

“We need to register as a Seeker team,” The charmander answers, stopping in front of the Pokémon’s desk and sounding maybe the smallest bit proud.

The plant girl blinks first at Tobias, and then at Nia. The riolu takes her focus off of the luminescent vines and leaves lighting up the room to smile at her.

“Hi,” she says, offering an awkward wave. “I’m Nia.”

“O-Oh! Yes, the human staying with Maggie. Pleasure to meet you. I’m Riley. So…you two are creating a Seeker team together?” Riley asks, dainty hands folding over her desk, not moving to grab a form or anything. Instead, she gives Nia a worried look. “You realize you will be _partners_ in almost every sense of the word, right? It won’t be easy.”

Nia gets the feeling that Riley isn’t exactly talking about the job itself and more the difficulties associated with her partner.

Before she can respond, the charmander growls, “I didn’t _force_ her to make a team with me.”

He looks like he’s barely holding himself back from lunging over the desk to claw at the flowery Pokemon, and for once Nia can’t really blame him. The implications make Nia bristle a bit too. Sure, she’s a bit of a pushover sometimes, but it’s not like anyone could force her into _this_ big of a decision!

“It was my idea, actually,” she says, trying to sound confident. She’s just glad she doesn’t stutter.

Riley looks away, face tinging a soft pink. Good, she should be embarrassed after that rude comment. “Yes. Apologies. Hold on a moment.”

As Riley searches through the forms, gathering the correct ones, Tobias turns to Nia, clearly still miffed but trying to move things along. “Did you think of a team name?”

Nia winces. Oops. She’d forgotten to think about it on the way down this morning. “W-Well, I looked up some famous teams last night, but…Do you have any ideas?”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “I told you I don’t care as long as it’s not dumb like the name you gave that teddiursa. You don’t have anything?”

Nia glances around, skimming past the glowing vines lining the room and landing on Tobias’ tail flame. “Uh...something with fire, maybe? Like team Spark, or Team Ember?”

“Original,” Tobias scoffs. “Besides, you’re not a fire type.”

Nia wrings her hands, thinking. They’re both pretty new at this, and they do live in a giant tree. “T-Team Sprout? Team Sapling?”

“Even less original. We aren’t sudowoodo.”

Nia doesn’t know what that means, but she can sense an insult when she hears one.

“Team Sunset?”

Tobias tilts his head at her, frowning.

“Well, you’re orange and I’m blue, so kinda like the sky?”

Tobias shakes his head.

Nia huffs out a breath. “Uh...” what’s something that they have in common? She tries to come up with something ( _surely_ there’s something!), but other than fighting in a dungeon illegally? Not much comes to mind.

“T-Team Cherry?” Nia suggests with an edge of desperation, thinking of that first day in the cafeteria and the soup miscommunication.

Tobias snorts. “More like Team Disaster.”

Nia isn’t sure whether she should laugh or be mad. “You could help, you know.”

“I am!”

Nia sighs, rubbing at her temples. This is a good start for their team. Okay, what’s something that’s important to both of them? Maggie? Team Magnolia? God, no, that makes it sound like she’s dead.

Nia looks up again, and pauses as she catches sight of Tobias’ red scarf. It’s definitely worn, a little dingy, but the charmander never takes it off. Not to sleep, not to fight or eat. She’s seen him tug at the scarf or scratch under it when he seems nervous or irritated, too.

“Is your scarf important to you?” She asks.

Tobias reaches up to grab it, leaning back as if Nia’s about to snatch it from him. “Why?”

Protective. Definitely significant to him. “I thought maybe we could make a team name with the color red. If it’s that important to you.”

For the first time since she has started listing off name ideas, Tobias looks interested. He rubs the scarf between his fingers.

“I could get a scarf or something to match, too,” Nia offers. She’d seen a few teams pass by with matching or coordinated team items, like scarves or bands dyed the same color. It looked nice.

Tobias doesn’t respond for a moment. “So...what? Team Red?”

“I-I was thinking more like Team Crimson? Or Vermillion?”

Tobias hums, apparently not absolutely hating her proposition for once. “Team Ruby?”

“I kind of like that one!”

They pause in thought for a few more moments, before Nia remembers one more catchy shade of red. “Team Scarlet?”

“Scarlet,” Tobias echoes, rolling the name around in his mouth. “Team Scarlet.”

“You like it?”

To Nia’s surprise, he nods, a hint of a smile on his lips. He looks ready to go again, determined once more. It’s nice, having the critical Pokemon look so approving of her for once. “Team Scarlet. Yeah, that doesn’t sound too bad. You got that, Riley?”

They turn back to the plant Pokemon and she jumps, having clearly checked out somewhere in the middle of their discussion. “Yes!”

Riley fills in the form, scratching an inky twig against the paper’s surface. Occasionally she asks one or both of them a question, but in the end they don’t have to do much aside from sign their names. Nia’s signature is incredibly messy, seeing as she’s still not used to writing with paws instead of human hands, but she also realizes she’s not used to writing at all in the rune-like language. She’s only read it in books. She still wonders how that all works, how she can read and roughly write in a language not at all her own.

“Well, you two are good to go!” Riley says, stamping the bottom of the sheet. She motions for them to put their arms up on the desk, stamping their hands as well. “Just go down a floor to the item dispensary and look for Rainer. You know him, right? Politoed?”

“Yeah,” Tobias says, already turning to leave. Nia hurries after him, debating on thanking Riley before she goes. She was kind of a jerk, though, so Nia just gives her a halfhearted wave on their way out.

Nia follows Tobias down the corridors to the staircase, looking at the top of her hand in the morning light. It’s a simple, inky emblem stamped onto her fur, just a bit smudged. It looks like...a little egg, maybe? Or a capsule? With wings on the sides of it. A badge, maybe?

Before she can ask, they’re heading downstairs and immediately turning into a hallway, then to a gathering area. This space is more open, with different “booths” lining the walls and a stall in the middle of the room. There are a few Pokémon at each station, chatting or moving goods about; Nia’s pretty sure they’re Seeker teams, maybe packing up for missions. They approach particular booths in groups of two to four, a bag looped around one of their shoulders as they order and exchange goods. Or buy them, maybe? She hasn’t exactly asked how this works.

Tobias pauses, looking around before setting off for a booth. An adorable, bright green frog with rosy cheeks sits behind the counter, shuffling through some slips of cloth.

“Hey, Rainer,” Tobias greets as they reach the counter, peering over the edge. “We’re a new Seeker team. This is where we go, right?”

Rainer, presumably, looks down at the two of them, breaking into a wide smile. “Sure is! Need the basic package?”

“I guess,” Tobias says, shrugging.

“Stamps?”

Nia and Tobias push their hands forward, and Rainer nods. “Good! Give me just a second.”

The frog turns and shuffles through his chests and shelves of goods, humming cheerily all the while. “So what name did you two go with?”

“Team Scarlet,” Tobias replies, sounding more sure of the name as he repeats it. Nia feels a bit proud.

“Mm. I like it! Tobias, I’m guessing you’ll want to keep your scarf, right?”

Tobias’ hands drift up towards his neck again. “Yeah.”

“Will you be needing one, Riolu?”

Nia opens her mouth to say yes, before suddenly remembering the attack scarf they’d found yesterday in the mystery dungeon. She’d put it right by her bed so she wouldn’t forget to wear it, but she’d managed to do so anyways. She remembers Maggie mentioning someone in the guild who could dye accessories, so she thinks she could just have that changed to a matching scarlet red later.

“N-No thank you,” she says. “I have something back in Maggie’s room to use.”

Rainer just nods, entire body bouncing as he pushes a small satchel over the counter. “Good, good! In that case, I have you all packed up for your first mission tomorrow. Your badges are inside with a manual explaining how they work, so be sure to read up on that. You two go talk to Azami next, and be safe out there!”

Tobias grabs the bag and turns to go, Nia giving Rainer a word of thanks before rushing to follow. The charmander leads them towards the stairway, and Nia hurries to catch up to his brisk stride. At least his legs are shorter than hers.

“S-So what did he mean by ‘tomorrow?’ Are we not going on a mission today?”

Tobias sighs. “No, we have to wait. It’s mandatory for new Seeker teams to have a day of assessment first, to test their skills and knowledge, assign a trainer, and point out what the team members need to work on.”

Nia feels nerves flutter in her stomach. That sounds like quite the test. “C-Can you, uh...fail?”

The charmander snorts, voice lowering. “We won’t fail if we managed to beat a D-rank dungeon right off the bat. We’ll be fine.”

Nia feels less sure of herself, anxiety already bearing down on her. But she perks up when she sees a familiar face near the staircase. “Oh, hey! It’s Xander!” She waves at the blue and black lion Pokémon. When he notices her, he smiles, walking their way.

“Ugh. You know him?” Tobias growls, curling up his lip like the luxio’s presence alone is enough to make him sick. Nia doesn’t know why she’s so shocked by the reaction at this point.

“What? He seems really nice!”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “He’s an annoying goody-goody is what he is. Thinks he’s better than everyone.”

Nia frowns. That wasn’t the vibe she’d gotten from him at all.

“Nia! I’m surprised seeing you down here.” Xander’s all warm smiles as he greets her, but when he turns to Tobias, his expression hardens. “Tobias.”

“Xander.”

The tension in the air is thick, but before any of them can speak, a graceful, bipedal Pokémon steps up next to Xander, looking curiously at Nia and Tobias with a gentle smile. They’re all delicacy and long legs, like a ballerina, green and white with startling red eyes. They remind Nia of a smaller Alistair, the gardevoir in the archives.

“Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met,” the new Pokémon says, voice incredibly soft. It’s almost hard to hear them in the open room. “I’m Avery, one of Xander’s partners.”

“I-I’m Nia,” the riolu says, torn between bowing and jutting out a hand to offer a handshake. She’s still not entirely sure which is expected in the Pokemon world. Avery has hands, so probably a handshake?

Avery laughs at Nia’s fumbling, a quiet but charming sound, and Nia feels herself blush under her fur. “It’s a pleasure meeting you. My father had some very kind things to say about you after your visit to the archives, and Xander mentioned running into you the other day.”

“Literally,” Xander adds with a small smile, looking visibly relaxed by Avery’s presence. “So what are you two doing here so early? Maggie roll you out of bed?”

“We’re forming a Seeker team,” Tobias says, crossing his arms and glaring at the luxio defiantly.

Xander’s ears perk up, star-tipped tail ceasing its casual flicking. “A Seeker team?” He sounds almost worried, gaze flicking over to Nia, and she hurries to speak up before Tobias can light the lion on fire.

“I-It was my idea! We both have reasons for wanting to join one, and, well, we already know each other, kind of, so...”

That’s not 100% the true reasoning, and she suspects that Xander knows that, but the luxio doesn’t say anything else. Before anyone can respond, a dark, blue-gray turtle appears on Xander’s other side, slinging an arm around his neck. “Yo! We’ve got the supplies, cap. Ready to go? Kry is itching to leave.”

The turtle notices Nia and Tobias, fluffy ears twitching as he offers a casual grin. “Hey. Sorry for interrupting. You Nia, I’m guessing?”

“Oh! Y-Yes, that’s me.” By this point she should really be over feeling so startled every time a stranger knows her by name.

“I’m Felix. Been with this guy—“ here he takes a moment to jostle Xander. “Since the good old days.”

“The ‘good old days’?” Xander asks, amused. “We aren’t that old.”

“Eh, old enough. I know I sure could use a nap. Just wanted to let you know we’re ready when you are. See ya ‘round, Nia.”

Nia’s caught off-guard by the wink the turtle leaves with, once again feeling hot under her fur. What—did he just?

“Don’t worry about him. Felix is harmless,” Xander huffs. “A lazy flirt, but harmless.“

Nia nods, unsure of how to respond.

“I’d better go calm Kry down,” Avery says, fondly. They turn with a gentle touch to Xander’s shoulder and a wave to Tobias and Nia. “Good luck, you two.”

Xander watches the graceful Pokémon leave, and Nia fights back a smile at the warmth in the luxio’s expression. She doesn’t want to assume anything, but _wow_ does he look the definition of lovestruck.

“I’d better go too,” Xander says, shaking himself out of his spell. He looks back to Nia. “You let me know if you need help with anything, okay?”

Nia nods, grateful. “Thank you.”

Xander’s piercing eyes turns to Tobias, and when he speaks, it sounds less like advice and more like a threat. “Be careful. Watch each other’s backs.”

Tobias scowls in return, not breaking eye contact as Xander turns and heads back to the staircase, where Avery and Felix wait beside a stocky gray dinosaur (dragon?) Pokémon with a green helmet and two tusks jutting from the sides of its mouth. They’re all wearing gold-colored cloths or bands on some part of their bodies, and Felix hefts a satchel larger than Nia herself up onto his shoulder before the group leaves.

“I hate that guy,” Tobias grumbles, white smoke puffing from his nostrils. Nia shifts uncomfortably. She doesn’t want to argue with her new, explosive partner before they even begin their first day, but she really likes Xander. He’s nice and he reminds her of someone that makes her feel calm and safe. Maybe from her human life?

“S-So where do we go next?” Nia asks, hoping to change the topic.

Tobias smirks, and Nia knows she’s going to hate whatever he says next. “The training floor for our combat assessment.”

Nia bites back a groan, already imagining how many ways she’s going to embarrass herself.

This won’t be good.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia and Tobias have their combat capabilities tested and meet their assigned trainers. Meanwhile, Nia’s new friends have some doubts about the riolu’s hot-tempered partner.

Nia trails nervously behind Tobias as they climb the tree’s staircase, desperately trying to think of the moves she’d read about in her books. There were lots of punches, she thinks. Does she even know how to punch? What if she can’t bring herself to actually hit someone? Her thoughts cut off when they finally enter what is presumably the training floor, and she stops in her tracks.

The open space is busy despite the early hour, Pokémon sparring and practicing moves either against each other or on cloth dummies. Nia watches with wide eyes as a giant bee with drills for hands ( _What on God’s green Earth?_ ) dances gracefully around their fighting partner before lunging and managing to slam the other Pokémon in the chest with the blunt of their drill.

Yikes.

“Tobias!” A feminine, oddly delighted voice calls.

Nia turns to see a humanoid, flower-like Pokemon walking—no, _strutting—_ over to them. Long green petals flow behind her like hair, and what looks like thigh-high pink boots stretch up her long legs. The Pokemon is beautiful and carries an air of confidence, and Nia tries not to feel too intimidated.

“You really sent Archer into a tizzy the other day, destroying another dummy,” she says, and Nia can hear the grin in her voice despite not being able to see a mouth past the Pokemon’s petal collar.

Tobias snorts. “He should just be glad I didn’t use _him_ as my training dummy. He fits the bill.”

The flower Pokemon laughs loudly, then seems to finally notice Nia. “Oh! Well, hey there! You must be Nia, right? Maggie’s little charge?”

Nia offers a shaky smile. “Y-Yeah, that’s me.”

“Nice to finally meet you, honey! I’m Azami. A tsareena, if that helps at all. I’m one of the trainers here at the guild. Speaking of—” She looks to Tobias again. “What’re you here for today? It’s not one of your usual days to train.”

“We’re here for assessment,” Tobias says, straightening up. “We’re a Seeker team now.”

Azami lights up. “ _Finally!_ Virizion knows you’ve been itching for battle for years now.” The tsareena turns an appraising look on Nia next. “So you’re Spitfire’s partner?”

Nia stiffens, glancing at Tobias, but the charmander doesn’t even react to the nickname. Nia hesitantly nods.

“Have to say, I’m curious to see what a human brings to the battlefield!”

Nia tries not to look too terrified at the mention of actually _fighting._ Even worse, of being _graded_ on her fighting.

Azami giggles and turns, beckoning them along. “C’mon! I’ll get Val to help us out.”

They follow her to the back of the open gym, where a large, wooden mat area is marked off by a white rectangle of paint. A Pokemon is on their hands and knees knocking at one corner of the mat, checking for breaks if Nia had to guess.

“Val!” Azami presents Nia and Tobias with an overdramatic flourish. “New Seekers needing assessment.”

The Pokémon, Val, looks up, standing to her full height and towering over Nia and Tobias. She certainly looks like she belongs in the training area. She has gray skin, but what almost looks like rounded yoga pants and head adornments in a dark shade of pink that perfectly matches her lips. Yellow marks accent her “pants” and bead her forehead. Nia’s surprised by how humanoid she looks.

“New recruits?” The new Pokemon asks, voice dusky. Dark, serious eyes peer down at the two of them. “Names and team title.”

“You know my name,” Tobias grumbles with a roll of his eyes. “Team Scarlet.”

Val narrows her eyes at him, but doesn’t push, looking to Nia instead.

Nia jumps. “U-Uh, Nia! Team Scarlet.”

Val nods, motioning for them both to follow her to the middle of the training area. They do, Nia casting Azami a nervous glance over her shoulder. The tsareena gives her a wink and settles on the sidelines to watch.

“Charmander first,” Val says.

Huh. Is there a reason she’s calling him by his species and not his actual name? Tobias steps forward without comment, so Nia retreats, scurrying back to Azami’s side.

“Attack me as if I were an outlaw,” Val instructs. “Do not hold back.”

Tobias frowns, looking insulted. “I’m not _weak_.”

“I did not say you were. Attack.” She settles into a loose stance, arms up and at the ready, feet placed wide. 

Tobias growls. “Fine.”

The charmander launches at her, claws gleaming with a metallic shine. Val ducks under his attack and rolls the charmander over her back to land on the ground with a heavy thud. She returns to her stance, looking unbothered.

Tobias snarls and goes straight at her again, swiping and snapping his jaws in a frenzy, occasionally trying to spin and slam Val with his tail. She moves around him like water in a stream, dodging and stepping aside with inhuman grace to avoid every move. She doesn’t even have to touch the charmander to trip him up. It doesn’t help that she’s so much taller than him, with longer limbs, but Nia has a feeling that Tobias would be losing regardless.

“She’s amazing,” Nia breathes.

“Isn’t she?” Azami says, a gleam in her eyes. “Val’s one of the best fighters in the guild!”

Tobias steps back for a moment to recover. Val simply waits, staring emotionless at the charmander’s heavy breathing.

Tobias snarls and darts forward again, feinting right before rolling left, popping back up and spewing a huge plume of embers at Val. Nia tenses up, but the pink Pokémon simply seems to shift through space, to glitch, easily moving through the fiery attack without getting hit by it. When she steps around behind Tobias again, Nia notices her eyes glowing orange.

Azami must notice her confusion. “Val’s a medicham—half fighting type, half psychic. That move was detect. It basically lets her dodge moves easier.”

Nia nods, leaning forward eagerly. She’d read about that move, actually! It’s so much cooler seeing it in person. Tobias takes a few more swipes at Val, attacks slowing as he tires out. Then, almost too fast for Nia to follow, Val slides behind the charmander. She grabs his arms, yanks them behind his back, and uses a foot to sweep his legs out from under him. In one smooth movement, Tobias is pinned on his belly, teeth bared as his face is smashed into the ground.

Wow.

Val nods to herself, as if making some sort of decision, then releases the charmander to stand up. “Riolu.”

Tobias snarls and pushes himself up, spinning to swipe at the medicham again. Val simply smacks his hand to the side. 

“You are done. Sit down.”

Tobias stops, huffing, before stalking over to Nia and Azami.

“Uh, good job!” Nia says, giving the charmander a shaky smile.

Tobias glares at her, face red from the workout. Or embarrassment. “Shut up.”

He plops down beside her, pointedly looking ahead of him. Nia cringes but doesn’t push, nervously following Val’s beckoning and moving forward into the training area. The wood feels almost springy underfoot.

“I-I haven’t really fought before,” Nia says, voice high with nerves.

Val‘s lips purse, face unreadable. “You are the former human, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you fight as a human?”

“I-I don’t think so?”

Val makes a quiet, unreadable noise, and then falls into the same stance. “If you want to be a Seeker, you must fight. Try.”

Nia swallows, heart pounding. Frantically, she tries to remember the bit of reading she’d done yesterday on fighting types. Punches and kicks, right? Just start with a punch! Apparently it’s supposed to come naturally, but that’s if you grow _up_ as a riolu, not become one suddenly as an adult. There was a move called bone rush too, she thinks? Or aura sphere? She—

“C’mon, Nia! Kick her butt!” Azami whoops.

Val is still waiting for Nia to make the first move. Holding her breath, Nia balls up a fist and throws it forward, stumbling. Val immediately catches her fist.

“If you punch like this, you will injure yourself,” Val says. She uncurls Nia’s fist, moving her thumb out from inside her other fingers. She helps Nia close her fist again, thumb lined up on the outside now.

“Hit with these two knuckles,” she continues, tapping the top knuckles of Nia’s pointer and middle finger. “Not the flat of your fingers.”

Nia tries to pay close attention to Val’s words, nodding.

“Keep your fist lined up with your arm. Tilting leads to broken wrists.” Val lines up Nia’s arm, stepping behind her to turn her shoulders, twisting her torso. “Stance wider.”

Nia follows her instructions, feeling incredibly awkward and unnatural. But she definitely trusts the medicham’s knowledge over her own.

“Try a punch. Use your legs and torso, not just your arm.”

Nia focuses and tries it, punching at the air. Oh. It’s kind of like how she used her momentum and the twist of her torso when she was swinging her branch. Like batting. She casts Val a nervous glance.

Val says nothing, expression unchanging, but nods. “It will become more natural with practice and repetition. Now kick.”

Nia nods and tries not to look too stupid as she kicks at the air, just managing to not fall over. She hears Tobias snort, and when she looks at him he’s not even bothering to hide his grin. Jerk.

Val moves to correct her form once again, and then has her repeat a few punches and kicks in the air. Then, she teaches her a basic block with her arms, showing her how to properly use the mounds of bone on her forearms as a defense without damaging them and having them crack.

After a minute or so of crash-course training, Val steps back and nods. “That will do for now. Do you know how to use your aura powers?”

Nia’s ears flatten. “N-No. Sorry.”

“Do not apologize. We must all learn.”

Nia offers her a thankful smile. Val doesn’t smile back, but oddly enough Nia doesn’t feel unnerved by the Pokemon’s stoic expression. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t sound angry, just…calm. Patient. The medicham turns to Azami and Tobias. The charmander stops looking bored, straightening up.

“Azami. I will train these two myself, if you would be willing to assist with Charmander.”

Azami laughs, throwing an arm around Tobias’ shoulders. Nia is still shocked that he doesn’t look upset by her casual, friendly attitude. “Sounds great! I’d love to show Spitfire the ropes. You’re sure you won’t be too overworked, Val?”

The medicham shakes her head, resolute. “I will handle their primary fighting technique, and Riolu’s aura training.”

Nia blinks up at the medicham, a bit awed by the Pokémon. “Y-You can help me with my aura?”

“My psychic abilities are similar. I can teach you the basics.”

Azami drags Tobias over to the two of them, and the charmander steps into line beside Nia while the two older Pokémon face them.

“Have you taken the knowledge assessment?” Val asks.

“Not yet,” Tobias says.

“As long as you pass that test, you should be cleared to go on E-rank missions!” Azami says, hands on her hips.

Nia’s surprised. After she clearly showed she doesn’t know a single move?

Val must be able to see what she’s thinking, because she explains, “You are inexperienced, but expectedly so. You are strong, and you listen. You will learn fast. As long as you have your partner to cover your back—“ She gives Tobias a pointed look. “You will be fine. Learning in the field is the best method.”

“But you two _will_ need to stop in for training at least two times a week, for Val to check your progress and correct any faulty form or techniques. And for Nia to practice her aura abilities, too! Sound good?” Azami asks.

Nia nods, grateful to hear that she’s not being completely thrown to the wolves to learn on her own. Tobias grunts.

“You should probably go take the knowledge assessment next,” Azami says thoughtfully. “As long as you pass, you’re free to spend the rest of the day however you like before your first mission tomorrow!”

“I recommend coming back here to train,” Val says. “Riolu, you are far behind a regular Pokémon in knowing your own body and abilities. Charmander, you are strong and have good instincts, but your temper and your reliance on straightforward tactics will only hold you back.”

Nia nods, glancing at Tobias when he huffs and crosses his arms. Oh no. Why does she already get the feeling that Tobias isn’t fond of the medicham?

In the end, they leave the training area and return to the floor they met Riley on earlier that morning. An adorable ladybug Pokémon gives them each a separate test (Nia’s verbally, due to her sloppy handwriting) regarding their knowledge of crucial Pokémon info. Typings, abilities, identification of different kinds of Pokémon and items...Nia’s surprised by how much she remembers from her many hours of reading over the last week. She’s still a nervous wreck, though, and she winces every time she knows she gets one wrong.

And yet, at the end of the test the cheery ladybug Pokémon happily announces that they both passed. Nia just scraped by, she’s sure, but it was enough. She gives Tobias a relieved smile, and even he looks like he’s holding back excitement at the news.

They’ve officially made it. They’re a Seekers team. Team Scarlet.

Tobias immediately heads towards the training hall to return to practicing, but Nia suggests they get something to eat instead. Her stomach has been growling for an hour now.

Tobias looks tempted by the thought, but then shakes his head. “I’m gonna train. I’ve gotta get a hit on that stupid medicham or it’ll drive me crazy.”

Nia can’t help feeling a little hurt by the rejection, but tries to smile as he turns to go. “O-Okay. Catch you later, then?”

The charmander doesn’t answer, turning a bend in the hall, and Nia’s smile drops. She didn’t expect him to soften up to her overnight, but they are a team now, right? She thought that would mean something!

Sighing, the riolu turns and hopes she can find her way to the cafeteria. It’s nearing noon, so by time she does track it down, the place is packed. Nia squeezes through all of the Pokémon, glad for her species’ smaller size, and finally steps into a random line. The next problem is where to sit. She has her tray of food, but the tables are all more or less full of Pokémon she doesn’t know. She’s considering taking her food down to one of the tunnels on the base floor, but then she hears someone calling her name.

“Nia! Nia, over here! Hey!”

It’s the green deer Pokémon she’d met here the other day! Andyn, she thinks? Andyn is hopping up and down on one of the table’s benches to catch Nia’s attention, so she hurries over to the deer Pokemon’s side. There are two other Pokémon clustered around her with their own trays, chatting as the riolu approaches.

“Hey! Good to see you! You should sit with us if you don’t have a place to eat,” Andyn says. Nia’s eyes flick nervously to the other Pokémon, but they’re both looking at her with open curiosity.

“Oh! Is this the human you told us about?” A black weasel (or cat?) Pokémon asks. He has one black ear and one ear a striking, feathery red, a golden charm on his forehead, and when he points excitedly at Nia, she sees that his hands are basically just long, curved claws. “She looks just like a regular riolu!”

“I told you that, dummy,” Andyn says, rolling her eyes.

The weasel-cat sticks his tongue out at the deer before turning back to Nia. “I’m Ezra. A sneasel! Ice and dark type. Incredibly fast, and incredibly cool. Literally!”

Andyn groans as Nia laughs, charmed by the cheeky sneasel’s attitude.

“I’m Jaz,” the pink Pokémon across from Andyn offers. She’s smaller than her teammates, and Nia doesn’t know how else to describe her other than saying she looks like an adorable stuffed animal version of a red panda, with soft fur and blunt paws. Something about her demeanor feels calmer than Andyn and Ezra. “I’m a stufful. Fighting and normal type.”

“Oh, right! And I’m a deerling. Grass type.” Andyn adds.

“Take a seat,” Jaz says, patting the spot beside her. “We don’t bite. Well, most of us don’t.”

“That was one time!” Ezra protests.

Nia smiles and sits down by Jaz, picking up a berry and watching the friendly banter unfold between the group.

“I had no choice!” The sneasel adds, in a tone that says they’ve argued about this before. “You were confused, Jaz! I had to snap you out of it somehow!”

The stufful shoots Ezra a dry look, pointing a paw at her ear where a sizable piece of it is missing. “By taking a chunk of my fur?”

“Cannibal!” Andyn jeers, giggling madly when Ezra starts yelling at her about how he didn’t even eat Jaz so it didn’t count.

“You guys seem close,” Nia says quietly to Jaz.

Jaz huffs a laugh as Andyn nearly knocks her tray of food off the table mid-argument. “Team Season Shift, at our best. These two are always like this.”

Nia nibbles at her food—a pecha berry, she thinks?—and basks in the friendly ribbing. Even if she feels slightly out of place, it’s nice to be included in such a friendly group.

“So what have you been up to since coming to the guild?” Andyn eventually chirps, finished with teasing Ezra. “Still helping Maggie out?”

“O-Oh! Um. I’m actually part of a Seeker team, now. We just registered today.”

Andyn and Ezra perk up at that.

“That’s so cool!” Andyn says, beaming. “I never would’ve pegged you as the Seeker type! Who’s your partner?”

“Tobias.”

Immediately, the jubilant mood of the group takes a nosedive. Jaz and Ezra exchange a confused, concerned look, and Andyn looks outright upset.

“What? Why in Celebi’s name are you partnering up with him?”

Nia just blinks at her, unsure how to answer.

“He’s so rude and mean, a-and—he’s just a jerk! For no reason! He’s always been like that.”

“I actually agree with Andyn,” Jaz adds, tone careful. “Tobias is...aggressive, at best. And you seem sweet. A little shy, even. I have to say I’m wondering how you two even get along.”

Nia winces. They kind of just…don’t _._ “W-Well, we sort of ended up deciding to try this out together?” No one at the table looks reassured, and Nia adds, “P-Partnering up was actually, uh, my idea. He just accepted.”

Jaz’s expression smooths out at that, and she goes back to her meal. Ezra is still staring at Nia with a frown. It looks out of place on the mischievous Pokémon’s face.

“So you aren’t worried he’ll like...ditch you in the middle of a dungeon or something? Or that he won’t have your back? It’s super important that you trust your partners in the Seeker business. It can be a matter of life or death.”

At that, Nia hunches down a bit more over her tray, trying not to let her doubts surface. She certainly doesn’t trust Tobias with her life, but he’d never just…leave her behind, right? He didn’t the first time they met, but…

“I certainly wouldn’t trust him,” Andyn huffs, poking at a berry on her tray and nearly mashing it with her hoof. “There’s a reason he has no friends our age. He’s not a good Pokémon. Some of the older Pokemon are nice to him, but they have to be.”

Nia feels like she should defend her partner. He isn’t that bad! He seems to really care about Maggie, at least. Still, when Nia opens her mouth to protest, nothing comes out. She knows she should defend the charmander, but...she doesn’t want to make her potential new friends upset, either. And he is still pretty mean to her. Nia finally settles on shrugging, looking down at her food to push it around. She’s not so hungry, all of a sudden.

There’s a beat of awkward silence. Then, Ezra says, “Well, maybe he doesn’t suck as much as we all think he does?”

Jaz sighs. “Just be careful, Nia. What’s your team name?”

From there, the conversation slowly rises back to normal spirits, and Andyn and Ezra even get into another lighthearted squabble. By time they’re all finished, they return their trays, Nia hesitating at one of the food lines.

“What is it?” Andyn asks, holding still while Jaz ties the bow around her neck for her. It’s a dark reddish-pink tone, kind of like Ezra’s ear.

“I was thinking maybe I should grab something for Tobias. I don’t think he ate yet.”

Andyn groans. “I can already tell that you’re gonna be way too nice to him. Don’t let him step all over you, okay?“

Nia smiles at Andyn’s concern. “I won’t. Thanks.”

The team heads out on a mission, waving goodbye and telling Nia that she needs to join them for lunch again. By time she gets a sack lunch of food to take back to Tobias, her chest feels happy and filled to burst. She’s making friends! She had Maggie before, of course, and maybe Xander, and everyone else has been really nice to her, but...something about talking and eating with a group of Pokémon her age makes her happy.

She practically skips back to the training hall. When she finds Tobias, training with Val and still stubbornly trying the same charge-and-slash tactic as before, she sits down on the sidelines to watch. He really just needs to mix up his approach and he’d probably do much better.

It’s another few minutes before Tobias finally slows down, falling to a knee and literally steaming with exertion.

“Enough. Take a break,” Val commands, stepping back. There’s not a scratch on her. In fact, she doesn’t even look winded. Her gaze flicks over to Nia. “Come here.”

The riolu jumps, scrabbling to her feet.

“I can still fight!” Tobias huffs between breaths. He’s shaking.

“Go rest,” Val repeats, voice hard.

Tobias growls under his breath, looking like he wants to argue, but then he staggers over to Nia’s side, collapsing onto his back. Nia debates on bothering him, but then gingerly picks up the sack lunch and sets it near the charmander’s head. “I-I brought you some lunch. If you want it.”

She hurries off before he can respond, squaring up with Val. The medicham tells her they’ll wait a couple of days before beginning Nia’s aura training, so she is more settled in and her emotions are in order. Instead, they return to practicing her physical movements. In addition to simple kicks, punches and blocks, Val teaches her how to roll, sidestep, and dodge.

After a particularly sloppy roll ends up with Nia sprawled on the ground, she looks over to see Tobias watching them train as he munches on a berry. Nia smiles as she moves to try the maneuver again. At least the charmander is eating!

Soon enough Tobias wants to join back in, so Val switches to discussing a few basic forms of tactics to use when fighting. In addition to full frontal assault, there are sneak attacks, defensive maneuvers, bottlenecking using tight areas, distraction techniques...Nia never dreamed there would be so much to learn about fighting!

In no time at all, the sun is setting, and Nia is more tired than she has been in her entire life. Probably. Definitely more tired than she has been since becoming a riolu. She falls back onto the training mat, breathing hard. Her muscles are screaming, she’s hot as heck, and her brain is tripping over itself trying to remember and repeat all of the new basic techniques she’d learned today. It’s no surprise to Nia that as soon as her and Tobias trudge their way upstairs to Maggie’s quarters without even a bite to eat for supper, they both immediately head to bed.

“Hard day?” Maggie asks, laughter in her voice.

Tobias grunts, flopping face-down into his nest. He grew to accept Val’s expertise and superior strength throughout the day, but Nia would bet anything he was still grumpy that he couldn’t land a single hit on the medicham.

Nia leans against the wall and tries to keep her eyes open to talk to the meganium. “I could fall asleep right here.”

Maggie chuckles, reaching out a vine to smooth back the fur on Nia’s head. Oh, that feels nice. “You do look wiped, my dear. One more question, and then I’ll leave you be so you can rest. What did you two name your team?”

Tobias snores from his nest, and Nia gives the meganium a tired smile. “Team Scarlet.”

“Lovely choice,” Maggie says, expression warm. Nia wonders if she has an idea of where the name came from. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You have your first mission tomorrow, from what I hear.”

Nia nods, yawning, and carefully steps around Tobias to lie down in her own soft nest. She’ll be sore tomorrow for sure. Still, she feels...good. Accomplished.

Excited.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Scarlet takes on their first mission as Seekers! Unfortunately, it isn’t quite as exciting as Tobias would hope. 

When Tobias blinks awake, chasing away the heavy fog of sleep, it’s brighter than it should be. He lifts his head from his nest, frowning. What time is it? Yawning, he glances over at Nia, seeing her still curled up fast asleep. He stumbles to his feet, stretching, and makes his way out to the room’s main quarters.

The sun is up.

Tobias freezes, blinking at the faint sunlight coming in through the gaps in the walls. He always wakes up at dawn, so it shouldn’t be this late! Was he that tired from yesterday’s training? The charmander hurries back into the alcove, shaking Nia awake. The riolu grumbles and tries to bat him away with a paw.

“We’re late, idiot! Get up! All the good missions are gonna be taken!”

Tobias gives her one more shove before scrambling to get their bag and items together. They need to go! Where’s Maggie? Why didn’t she wake them up?

Tobias hefts the bag onto his shoulder and turns to Nia, growling when he sees her still asleep. He uses all the strength in his sore muscles to completely roll the riolu out of her nest. She yelps, sitting up with wide eyes and lopsided ears.

“W-What?! What’s happening?”

“We’re late!” Tobias says, waving her to the doorway. “C’mon!”

He bolts into the hallway and hears Nia stumble and bump into the wall with a quiet “Ow!”

“Great Entei, you’re slower than a snorlax! Come on!”

Nia runs out after him, eyes wild, and he takes off down the hall of the medical ward.

“W-What time is it?” Nia asks, sounding like she’s still shaking off the last bits of sleep.

“A lot later than it should be!”

“Are we still gonna drop off my scarf so we can dye it?”

“No time! We’ll do it when we get back!”

They quickly patter down the steps of the tree, making good time. If only they hadn’t woken up so late!

“What about food?” Nia asks between breaths.

“Later!”

Nia makes an unhappy sound, but doesn’t stop. At least they still have the bag packed from yesterday and don’t have to stop to restock. By time they make it to the bottom floor and up to the E-rank mission board, they’re both panting hard. There are only one or two other teams wandering around and leaving for missions, and Tobias hurries to skim through the board’s listings.

Nia searches as well, pointing at a mission. “What about this one?”

Tobias follows her claw and scoffs. “Two other teams already have that one. Look at the serial numbers in the bottom corner. The psychics update them every hour when a team takes on the job.”

“S-So no?”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “There’s no way we’ll catch ‘em and finish the job first.”

Nia nods, and they continue looking at the listings. He can’t believe this—so many of them are already taken! Surely all of them can’t be, right? Tobias searches the papers, increasingly frantic.

“Oh! What about this one?” Nia asks.

Tobias looks at the mission, noting first that there aren’t any other teams listed for it. Great! What’s the job—

Oh. Oh no. Not that one. Anything but that one. Tobias quickly skims through the other missions one more time, hope slowly crashing and burning. Finally, Tobias, groans and hangs his head. Fine. That one it is.

__________________________________________________________

“S-So why is this guy so awful? The job said we just need to harvest his berry trees for him, right? And pick up branches and stuff? That doesn’t sound too bad.”

Tobias, stalking through the undergrowth ahead of the riolu with a scowl on his face, only grumbles, “You’ll see. Old guy’s super weird.”

Nia doesn’t answer, probably focusing on traversing the path through the woods. It’s a bit overgrown, but Tobias wouldn’t usually mind since it prolongs the time until they reach Hadley’s place. However, he can’t help eyeing the foliage they pass, brushing his hands along yellowed, too-dry leaves. He hates rain, but it’s been far too long since it rained anywhere near the Haven. It makes him nervous about a forest fire breaking out, especially with the uptick in natural disasters. This much woodland in every direction is a deathtrap in a drought, especially since there are so many grass and bug types living in the area. Fighting off a shudder, Tobias tries to smother his fears. There are hardly any fire types near the guild—aside from _him—_ so that’s good, at least. They’ll be fine. Rain has to come soon.

Soon enough, Tobias recognizes the little hut ahead of them through the trees, and he’s not sure whether to dread the upcoming tasks or feel relieved for a distraction from his concerns. A nice garden of flowers lines the dirt beneath the hut’s windows, and with the sun shining through the trees the whole place looks rather quaint.

“Oh, this is lovely!” Nia says, stepping out of the woodline. 

“Thank ya, sprout.”

Nia yelps and jumps away, and even Tobias flinches at the sudden deep, raspy tone. Hadley has somehow appeared right behind them, as if he materialized out of thin air. It would be impressive for a golisopod to move so silently in the middle of the forest if it weren’t so unsettling.

The golisopod continues as if he didn’t just scare the daylights out of them. “I do try my best, even if those darn yungoos pups won’t stay out of my garden.”

“Mr. H-Hadley?” Nia asks, voice shaky.

Tobias supposes Hadley would look intimidating to someone who had never met him. He’s giant, even for a golisopod, easily seven or eight times their size, old but still heavily built. Scars line his shell and despite the patchy sun hat on his head, his blunt claws and armored appearance give him a warrior-like look.

“Aye, that’s the name, lass!” Hadley says. “What can I do for ya? You here for battle lessons? My cake recipe? You can have it over my empty shell! Gahaha!”

Nia tilts her head, looking rightfully confused. “U-Um. No, sir, we’re here about your, uh, berry trees? You put in a mission request? We’re from the guild, and—“

Hadley squints at the riolu and crouches down an inch from her face, not commenting on how she leans back with a squeak.

“Do I know you? My memory’s a bit spotty nowadays.”

“N-No. Uh, sir. My name’s Nia. I’m new here.”

“Ah.” The golisopod leans back. “Where ya from? The Bylur mountain range? Ghatha?”

Nia shoots Tobias an uncertain look. He shrugs. “U-Uh, no. I’m um. I was actually a human, before?”

The golisopod stares at Nia. And stares. Just as Tobias is about to say something, Hadley tips his head back and roars with laughter. Nia jumps.

“Oh, I like you!” He says, tapping the nervous riolu on the snout with a single long claw before standing and trudging away. “Come along then. There’s work to be done.”

Nia blinks, as if unsure of how to react.

“Told you he’s a weirdo,” Tobias mumbles, following Hadley. Nia scurries after them.

“I need you two to harvest the berries from the trees around my home, and pick up any fallen branches ya find along the way. In return, I might be able to offer you an interesting tidbit of knowledge about humans, miss Riolu.”

Nia straightens up, smiling. “Really?!”

“But you’ll still give us the other rewards, right?” Tobias asks. He didn’t come here just for Hadley to spin tall tales to Nia.

“Rewards?” The golisopod stops, squinting his eyes and looking up into the trees. “What did I say I had?” Tobias opens his mouth to snap out an answer, but Hadley waves him off. “We’ll figure it out later. Enough gibber-gabber! I need this done before those spinarak kids come back.”

“I thought they were yungoos?” Nia whispers. Tobias, busy massaging his temples to ward off the headache he feels coming on, just shrugs. Heck if he knows.

Hadley finally stops by two large baskets. “Here ya go. Use these to gather the berry crop.”

“Those are almost as big as us!” Tobias protests. How in the world are they even supposed to pick them up?

“Eh? You two want to be Seekers, right? Buck up! You’ll have tougher battles than with a couple o’ baskets!”

“But—you don’t—ugh! Whatever! C’mon, let’s hurry and get this done so we can leave.”

Tobias marches over to one of the fruit-heavy trees, sizing up the bark and digging in with his claws. When he thinks he has a strong enough hold, he begins hauling himself upwards. In just a few moments, he reaches the lowest branches and carefully plants his feet on the bark as he stands. He looks down to see Nia watching from the ground, brow furrowed.

“U-Uh. Do you want me to come up too, or..?”

“Stay there so I can throw the berries down to you.”

Nia nods, eyeing his footing with obvious concern.

“I’ll be fine,” He says, rolling his eyes. “Drag the basket over and we can get to work.”

The riolu hurries to follow his instructions, grabbing the giant wicker basket and dragging it across the grass to the shade under the tree. Tobias nods and turns to begin picking. The quicker they get this done, the quicker they can go home and look forward to a better mission tomorrow.

Tobias plucks the purple and yellow chesto berries from their stems, cradling the spiraled fruit before turning and dropping them into Nia’s waiting arms. He snaps at her to be careful when she drops one or two of them, casting a glance at Hadley’s hut, not even sure if that’s where the golisopod had wandered off to. Who knows what the old coot would do if he saw them messing up.

The work is boring and tedious, silent but for the quiet rustling of the trees and the sounds of forest Pokémon. Still, as long as Hadley stays out of their path, Tobias supposes he can handle it. It’s not the worst thing they could get stuck with. Within the hour, Tobias is finished with one tree, passing down the last of the unripened berries before carefully moving on to the next tree. He doesn’t even realize how glad he is that Nia is doing her job _silently_ until she speaks up.

“S-So, uh...what’s your favorite kind of berry?”

Tobias pauses, persim berry in hand, to scowl down at her. “Why?”

She shifts on her feet, shrugging. “I-I just thought we could get to know each other better. Y’know, since we’re partners now, a-and we aren’t too busy to talk.”

Great. The last thing the charmander wants to do is join in on Sharing Time. Just to shut her up, he goes back to work and calls out, “Rawst berries.”

There’s a beat of quiet that Tobias prays will last, but instead Nia says, “O-Oh! Those’re the minty blue ones, right? The way they taste reminds me of chewing gum. Um. A human thing, I think.”

Tobias doesn’t offer a response, focusing on his work. Nia only waits another minute or two, tops, before she asks, “What about music? Wait, do you guys have music or—“

“Of course we have music,” Tobias snaps. “Just not a lot of musicians at the guild. And I dunno. Stringed instruments, I guess.”

“That’s awesome! I, uh, grew up around a lot of country music, I think. I’m pretty sure I did, at least. I-I’m not sure what my favorite type of music is though, since I can’t really remember much. I’ve been trying to remember some of the songs I liked as a human. Will we ever run into any bands or musicians?”

“Probably.”

Another blessed moment of quiet, but Tobias doesn’t trust it. He can feel irritation bubbling in his gut, can feel himself growing tense and angry. He knows it’s coming. Any second now.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Arceus, Nia! Why does it matter?” Tobias snarls, turning to look down at the riolu. Her ears pin back and she ducks into herself, not offering an answer.

Tobias feels a prick of guilt for yelling at her, but just huffs out a wisp of smoke and goes back to business. From then on the two work in silence, Tobias passing down the berries and Nia taking them while somehow managing to avoid his eyes. He will _not_ feel bad about it. He refuses to. Why is she so nosy, anyways? They aren’t friends. Their relationship is more that of...business partners. Yeah.

The pair work in a tense silence that feels out of place among the soothing atmosphere of the shade-dappled woods. As the sun travels across the sky, they move from tree to tree, slowly gathering all of the berries from the trees surrounding Hadley’s land. They’re on the second-to-last tree, Tobias picking away at the cheri berries and resisting the urge to snitch one, when he turns to drop the berries and sees Nia completely distracted. She’s staring into the small puddle at her paws, head tilted. Tobias squints, trying to see what’s so interesting.

“Hey, heads-up.”

Nia startles, looking up at him. “Oh! Sorry!”

Tobias drops the berries down to her waiting arms. Curious despite himself, he asks, “What were you looking at?”

Nia gently dumps the berries into the top of their second wicker basket, then turns to give the puddle a perplexed look. “I’m...not really sure. I thought I saw something. P-Probably just the trees.”

Tobias carefully backs down the tree he was perched in. Once he reaches the ground, he takes a moment to look at the puddle, but doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Together, the pair push the giant basket, heavy with the fruit they’d gathered, underneath the last tree.

“Last one, right?” Nia asks, looking around.

“Yeah. Good thing, too. My fingers feel like they’re about to fall off, and I’d like to get out of here before Hadley decides he wants to cut us up for stew or something.”

“Oh! I didn’t even think about your fingers. D-Did you want me to go up instead?”

Tobias gives her a raised eyebrow, gaze flicking down to her paws and back up. “Yeah. I’d like to see you try.”

Nia looks offended. “H-Hey! I used to be a great tree climber when I was human! I taught my—“ She trails off, eyes going vacant and distant. “My...” She frowns, blinking out of her stupor and looking frustrated. “I taught someone! I-I think.”

Tobias snorts, gesturing to the tree in front of them. “Be my guest.”

Nia seems a little uncertain, or maybe just thrown by her moment of amnesia, but then shakes her head. She looks up at the tree’s branches with clear determination. Then, with a quiet “Hup!” she tries to jump up to cling to the bark with her claws, back paws immediately slipping. She yelps as she slides down to land harshly on her tail. Tobias, caught off-guard, barks a laugh.

Nia shoots him an embarrassed look. “That worked better when I had normal feet,” she mumbles.

“Clearly,” Tobias says, throwing himself onto the trunk and hooking his claws into the bark. He propels himself upward, climbing easily to the first branch to perch smugly on top.

Nia looks up at him with a frown, almost pouting. Tobias snorts, then turns to finish the job, plucking at the dull yellow aspear berries loaded throughout the tree’s branches. He makes pretty great time, rushing a bit to finish with the last tree as the sun begins to sink towards the horizon. He reaches out for a far fruit, balancing on a thin branch with some help from his tail. Just a bit further, come on—

His feet slip off the side, and his stomach drops. He flails and manages to slam his arms around the branch, his legs scrambling to get a hold and haul himself back to safety. After a few heart-pounding seconds, the charmander manages to right himself, laying along the branch while he catches his breath.

“Are you all right?” Nia calls.

Tobias peeks open an eye, sharp retort on his tongue. He’s surprised to see the riolu directly below him, wide red eyes staring up at him, body tensed and arms at the ready, as if she were preparing to catch him if he’d fallen. Something about that makes his gut turn uncomfortably. This stupid riolu has no sense of self-preservation. The two of them are about the same size and weight—the only thing Nia would have accomplished was hurting herself.

“I’m fine,” he rasps. He pushes himself back to his feet, gives the booby-trapped fruit a doleful glare, then shuffles back towards the trunk, where the branches are wider. He doesn’t take any more risks, slowing down his gathering time as he plucks the last few aspear berries from the tree. By time he slides back down to Nia he’s calm again, beyond relieved to feel solid ground and grass beneath his feet.

“That’s the last of the fruit,” Tobias says, shaking out his hands. They feel gritty with bark. “Let’s push this over to Hadley’s hut so we can collect branches and get out of here.”

Nia nods and helps him push the basket over to a spot near Hadley’s doorway, then follows him when he goes to collect sticks and branches along the forest floor. The riolu is quiet as they work, and by time they’re finished it’s nearing sunset.

“That’s the last of it. Let’s let Hadley know we’re done so we can head back.”

Nia nods, and they head to the golisopod’s hut. It’s nearly dark inside, so they pause at the doorway, knocking against the wooden frame.

“Hadley?” Tobias calls. “We got your harvesting done and picked up around the place.”

A muted _thud_ sounds behind them, and Nia yelps while Tobias spins around with his claws at the ready. But it’s just Hadley, suddenly behind them with a calm, contented expression. Did he—did he just jump down from the _roof?_ Or the _trees_ , even? Where was he this whole time?!

Tobias decides he doesn’t care enough to ask (he does care, but he knows he won’t get a straight answer anyways). Instead he growls, “We harvested your berries and picked up branches. We’re done.”

Hadley smiles. “Oh! Good, good, youngins!” He shuffles a few steps away, looking around at the trees and undergrowth. “You two did a fine job.”

Nia finally recovers from the fright to smiles proudly at Tobias’ side, and he sighs, crossing his arms. “Good. What about our rewards?”

Hadley turns to them, claws clicking thoughtfully. Then, he perks up. “Oh, yes! I was going to tell you about humans!’”

Nia’s ears prick with interest. “Y-Yes! Do you know anything about them? Or how to get to the human world?”

Hadley laughs. “You sound like you believe those silly old tall tales, too! I have an old friend who still insists she was once a human. Daft gal, that one.”

Nia steps forward, sounding excited. “Wait! Really? C-Could you introduce me to her?”

Hadley looks down at Nia like she’s turned zweilous and grown a second head. “You want to meet Hazel?”

“Yes! Please!”

“Strange one you are. Fine, fine. She does make a mighty fine cup of tea. Last I saw of her she was living in Afon’s Cap, with her daughter and grandkids.”

Nia bounces on her toes, beaming. “Hazel at Afon’s Cap. Got it! Thank you so much, Hadley!”

The golisopod rumbles another laugh and waves her gratitude off with a claw.

“Old man,” Tobias says, reaching the edge of his patience. “Rewards?”

“Ah, yes! Hold on a moment.” The golisopod trudges over to the nearest basket of berries and plucks a couple off the top, turning to hand them over to Tobias. “There ya go. Nice and fresh!”

Tobias looks down at the handful of _incredibly common_ berries he’s holding, biting back a burst of frustrated embers. This is all they’re getting?

“Don’t forget to log your Seeker points now!” Hadley says cheerfully, either entirely missing Tobias’ fury or ignoring it. Probably the latter.

Knowing complaints won’t get him anything more than a scolding or straight-up laughed at, Tobias shoves the berries into their bag and turns to leave. He pinpoints his location relative to the guild, then sets off through the underbrush without a word.

Nia stammers something behind him, probably an apology, and calls out, “Bye, Hadley! Have a good night!” before rushing through the ferns and bushes to reach his side. “Have you heard of Afon’s Cap?” She asks immediately, eyes shining. “Is it close?” She doesn’t even look upset about being stiffed on rewards. She got her precious gossip about “humans” so she’s happy. It makes him angrier.

“It’s not far,” Tobias grits out between clenched teeth. “Half a day’s walk.”

“That’s perfect! Can we go there?”

“If we get a mission there.”

Nia seems to deflate. “Oh. S-So we can’t just go there on our own?”

“We _could_ ,” Tobias says, pushing a small branch out of his way. “But we have more important things to do. We need to complete missions and gain Seeker points so we can rise in rank.”

Nia doesn’t answer, and when Tobias shoots her a glance, she looks hurt, arms crossed and eyes downcast. Good, at least he’s not the only one upset now.

“This Hazel lady probably isn’t even there,” he scoffs. “You saw Hadley. Old guy’s not as sharp as he used to be. He didn’t even tell us what kind of Pokemon she is.”

“Y-Yeah, but...” Nia’s voice drops, almost inaudible. “I’d still like to check.”

“Fine. If you find a mission that takes us there, then we’ll look for this supposed ‘human,’” Tobias says, knowing it’s rare for any Afon missions to land on the E-rank mission board.

Nia doesn’t perk up at the offer, just nodding with her tail almost trailing in the dirt. When they’ve almost reached one of the main tunnels back into the guild, Nia speaks up.

“What were those Seeker points Hadley mentioned earlier?“

Tobias snorts. “They’re basically all we’re getting for completing this mission, that’s what. Usually Pokémon give you rewards for helping them out, like that teddiursa and roselia did, but you’re also awarded a certain number of Seeker points. The more points you have, the more respected your team is. It’s how you advance in ranks”

“Oh...So after we get so many points, we’ll go up from E-rank to D-rank?”

Tobias nods. “The first few ranks go by quick, but it gets more difficult the higher up you go.”

“Makes sense,” Nia murmurs.

They finally reach the old hollowed-out tree entrance, and they both climb inside to carefully slide down into the tunnel system. When they reach the bottom, they take a moment to dust themselves off in the crystals’ blue glow before setting off.

“When we get back to the room, we need to input our mission’s success into our badges,” Tobias says, glancing over at Nia to be sure she’s listening. “Got it?”

The riolu nods. “Are you going to eat soon?”

Tobias yawns. “Yeah. I’m starving after seeing berries all day. Let’s get your scarf first and drop it off to be dyed.”

Nia doesn’t object, and the two make their way through the tunnels, past the notice boards, and trudge up the stairs to their quarters.

“They should really install an elevator in this place,” Nia mumbles at one point, a humorous edge to her voice.

Tobias gives her a dry look. “No idea what that is.”

Nia opens her mouth to respond, then hesitates, looking thoughtful. “W-Wait. Are there any, uh...Pokémon that can’t climb the stairs? Who were injured or can’t walk properly? What do they do?”

“We have psychic types who can levitate and teleport them around the guild when they need it,” Tobias says, pausing in his explanation as they pass a jumpluff and a bellsprout. “They get set up with a device that notifies a psychic type on duty when they need a lift.”

Nia looks impressed, eyes wide with wonder. “Wow...”

“What, you thought we’d just kick out any disabled Pokémon?”

Nia winces at his scathing tone. “No! Of course not! I just hadn’t seen anyone l-like that yet, so...”

Tobias doesn’t respond, and they make the rest of the trip in silence. When they reach Maggie’s quarters, the meganium is reading up on some herbal remedies.

“Well hello, you two!” She says, warm voice immediately soothing Tobias’ weary mind. From the way Nia perks up and smiles, it does the same for her.

“Hi, Maggie! How was your day?” Nia chirps.

“Oh, fine, fine. These old bones are still getting me where I need to go! How was your first real mission?”

Nia’s enthusiasm dims. “It was, uh...great.”

Tobias snorts. “Liar. We picked fruit for weird old Hadley. It was boring.”

Maggie somehow manages to look both disappointed on their team’s behalf and scolding all at once. “Tobias, we’ve talked about this—his name is just Hadley. He’s a very sweet Pokemon. At least you got your Seeker points, right?”

Tobias sighs. “Yeah, I guess.” He goes back into their nook, throwing Nia’s scarf out for her to grab as he rummages through their bag for their badges. He takes a second to input their success and watches their Seeker points rise from 0 to 10. Something in his chest lifts proudly despite their awful day.

After putting everything away, Tobias walks back into the main area to find Nia eagerly questioning Maggie about Afon’s Cap, attack scarf in her paws.

“It’s a port town,” Maggie explains as she works. “Well, sort of. It’s a freshwater lake port off of a river channel. Huge lily pads grow there, so it’s named after its founder, Afon. He was a Ludicolo, a Pokemon that grows a lily pad on its head.”

Nia is listening with fascination, and Tobias rolls his eyes and makes his way towards the door. “I’m going to get food.”

Nia cuts herself off, smiling at him. “Oh! Do you mind waiting just a minute?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m starving,” Tobias huffs, heading towards the door. “I’ll see you down there.“

Nia must decide to continue her questioning later, because a moment later she hurries to catch up to him, reaching his side and looking troubled.

“What?” He asks.

“Nothing,” she mumbles.

The two make their way downstairs in an uneasy silence, only stopping to drop Nia’s scarf off with Vera to be dyed a similar red to his own scarf. The leavanny peers closely at the scarf around Tobias’ neck for a few moments, mouthing notes to herself, before waving them off.

They continue down the tree, eventually reaching the cafeteria. Luckily it isn’t too crowded since it’s later than most Pokemon prefer to eat in the evening. As they move to join a food line, Tobias sees a familiar huge shape at one of the tables, eating while surrounded by his tiny charges. Arlo must’ve brought the kids down for dinner tonight.

A heartbeat later, Luca looks up from his meal and notices Tobias. The little shinx bounces up on his seat and calls, “Toby! Hey, over here!”

The charmander hears Nia murmur, “Toby?” but pays it no mind, immediately heading over to the table. He wishes Nia wasn’t here to see him soften up for the little guys, but there’s no way he’s going to ignore them either.

“Hey, Luca. Anything good tonight?”

The shinx grins up at Tobias. “Yeah! They made oran berry pie! Arlo said that if we don’t make him go gray before the meal’s over we can have a piece!”

“That’s awesome,” Tobias says, biting back a laugh. Poor Arlo.

“Hi Toby!” Luca’s sister and brother, Laine and Leor, chime from across the table, waving at him with their tiny paws. He smiles and waves back.

A lot of the other little Pokémon chirp their own excited hellos—the skwovet kit, the zigzagoon pups, the older kids like the petilil bud and the oddish sprout. Tobias patiently and happily returns their greetings, giving them a few fist bumps or messing up the fur or leaves on top of their heads to hear them squeal with laughter.

He almost forgets that Nia is even there until Luca pokes his head around Tobias and asks, “Who are you?”

“I’m Nia,” the riolu says, smiling with a little wave.

“I’m Luca!” The little shinx nearly shouts, sticking out his tiny chest. His siblings and a few of the other children cry out their own greetings.

Nia laughs. “Nice to meet you all!”

“Are you Toby’s friend?” Laine asks.

“Um...” the riolu shoots Tobias an uncertain look, and he sighs.

“She’s my Seeker partner.”

Immediately the children are in an uproar, abandoning their meals to jump up and ask him a slew of questions.

“Whoa, guys, chill! One at a time!” Tobias laughs, hands up in defeat. Nia looks overwhelmed.

“Children!” Arlo bellows, stepping into their conversation for the first time. “No pie unless you settle and eat your food. Tobias and Nia cannot answer you all at once.”

The kids hurry back to their meals with intense focus, clearly willing to do just about anything for a slice of pie. A lot of them still peek up at him and Nia, though, or just push the food around on their trays.

Luca and his siblings don’t even pretend to eat, but they do sit back down, tiny tails lashing. “You two are a Seekers team?!”

Tobias feels proud looking into the shinx cubs’ starry eyes. “Sure are.”

“Awesome! What’s your team name?” Laine asks.

“Team Scarlet.”

Leor breathes a quiet, awed noise, and Luca beams. “That sounds as cool as Xander’s team!”

Nia’s brow furrows, probably trying to figure out how the three know Xander. Tobias barely manages to keep his expression neutral as the luxio is mentioned, biting back a scowl for the shinx cubs’ sake. “They’re Xander’s younger siblings,” he whispers.

“Oh!” Nia looks surprised, glancing between Tobias and the shinx cubs.

Tobias turns his attention back to the shinx kids. “We’re gonna go get some food. Mind if we join you guys?”

They’re better company than Nia, by far. The kids cheer and excitedly call for them to sit down at their table, and Tobias and Nia head off to grab some trays and load them up with food. Even though Nia’s presence is an unexpected and unwelcome addition to Tobias’ dinner with the nursery crew, the meal is nice. Being around the younger Pokemon—the shinx siblings especially—always cheers the charmander up, especially after such a long day.

And tomorrow _has_ to be better.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia begins her aura training with Val and considers her rocky relationship with Tobias.

“You are too tense.”

Nia sighs and relaxes from her position on the floor of the training area, carefully untangling her legs. Who knew having dog limbs would make sitting cross-legged so difficult?

Val looks down at her with her usual unreadably blank expression, arms crossed. Nia’s just glad for her seemingly endless patience. “You are worked up. Emotionally upset. You cannot channel into your aura abilities in such a state.”

Nia nods, avoiding the medicham’s gaze and glancing over to the cause of her emotional duress. Tobias is sparring with Azami, the flowery Pokémon helping him to work on battle tactics other than “run yelling into danger.” The charmander seems frustrated, but Azami just takes a defensive stance and goads him into trying again.

“Partner problems?” Val asks, not bothering to lower her voice.

Nia winces. “Y-Yeah.”

Val nods, watching Tobias attack. “He can be difficult to work with.”

That’s an understatement. Nia thought that she’d be able to handle the charmander’s forced distance and temper, his sharp personality and cruel remarks. But they’ve only been partners for a couple of days and have only taken on a handful of low-level missions, and Nia can already feel herself wearing thin.

Clearing out an old den for a bear Pokemon and her cubs to use for the approaching winter? Nia gets snapped at for “not digging right” and taking too long to clear out the old leaves and moss. She’s still getting used to having _paws_ for hands!

Escorting an elderly, drooling flower Pokemon across the forest? Nia gets blamed for their small reward because she “kept wrinkling her nose” at the smell. Her new nose is sensitive! She tried her best to be polite!

Bringing medicine from Fen’s office to a sickly family of plant-like turtles living in the woods? Nia gets rushed along, falls into a hole, and then has to listen to Tobias complain the whole way that she’s “slowing them down.” Slowing them down from _what?_ They’re meeting _turtles_ , for God’s sake! They aren’t going to _outrun_ them!

She’s doing her best, but Tobias is just so...ugh! Impatient and angry, all the time! He doesn’t listen, and he doesn’t seem to care about her or anyone else. They’re partners! They don’t have to be best friends, but they should at least be friendly with each other, right? Every time she tries to start up a civil conversation with the charmander, tries to learn more about him as a person, he immediately shuts her down.

Even worse, Nia desperately wants to follow the lead that Hadley gave her and go to Afon’s Cap to find Hazel, the former human. But every time she’s brought it up in the past few days, he’s dismissed it without even giving her a chance. She even tries to pick missions that (according to a map in one of her geography books, at least) would lead them close to the port town, only for him to override her opinion completely and pick something else.

Nia’s a patient Pokemon (a bit too patient, according to Andyn) but she’s already getting sick of it. Is it too much to ask for her partner to treat her with a little decency and respect? She’s seen Tobias with the little kids of the guild, with Luca and Leor and Laine and the others. He’s like a completely different person with them! Patient and kind and fun, joking and gentle.

But with everyone else, he’s so...sharp. So far they’ve only been completing basic missions in the area around the Haven, but she _thinks_ he would have her back if it came to a physical fight with another Pokemon. But that doesn’t do much to ease her hurt feelings and increasing frustration with the charmander’s temper tantrums. Now it’s even interfering with her training!

“Focus on meditation,” Val suggests. “Relax.”

Nia slumps. “Okay.”

The medicham walks over to Tobias and Azami to watch and add her own expertise. Nia focuses on crossing her legs, resting her hands on her knees, and relaxing her body. She’d already run through a few basic fighting drills with Val today, and since the medicham taught her the basics of meditation during their last session, Nia’s mission for the rest of the afternoon is to start her aura training. She tries to go back and run through her meditation notes one by one. Relax. Part by part, muscle by muscle. Deep breaths. Clear her mind. No stress. No negative emotions. No thoughts at all. Calm. Focus on her breathing.

It takes a while, Nia concentrating on her breathing to block out the commotion of the room around her, but eventually, she thinks she’s getting it. Distantly, she notes the relaxed, loose state of her muscles. Her mind feels comfortably blank.

A few minutes later, Val’s quiet voice pipes up from beside her. “Good.”

Nia peeks her eye open to see the medicham sitting in a similar meditative pose. When did she get there?

“You are relaxed?”

Nia hums an affirmative.

“Close your eyes. Continue breathing. Listen to my voice.”

Nia does as told, trying to let her mind stay blank as she listens.

“Your body is a vessel for your energy. Breathe in. Feel the air flow into you. Feel it energize you. Breathe out, and let your body relax. Good. This flow of energy is constant. It allows you to move and live. Imagine that energy gathered at the center of your body. The core of your being. It may appear as…a light. It is what fuels you, pushes you, makes you who you are.”

Nia’s mind starts trying to butt in, tripped up by Val’s words. A light? Does she mean literally, or—

“Do not think,” Val reminds. “Let yourself be. Relax. Calm.”

Nia sucks another deep breath in through her nose, and then releases it, imagining her racing thoughts going along with it. Blank her mind. Calm.

“Good. Look to your light. Feel it in your heartbeat. It is your fire, your soul. Picture it.”

This all seems so…strange. The riolu is supposed to be learning aura training, but so far she’s only been learning breathing exercises and weird visual techniques. Still, Nia trusts Val’s knowledge, even if that means doing weird yoga. So she tries to listen to the medicham and let the words paint the picture of a small flame in her chest. A light.

“What color is it?”

Nia’s brow furrows. She can’t _really_ see the light, of course, so maybe she gets to decide? Her favorite color is yellow, but for some reason that doesn’t...feel right. When she pictures this light, pictures who she is as a flame in her chest, small but steady, it’s...blue. A bright, turquoise sort of blue.

“Blue?” Nia says, hesitant.

“Good,” Val says. Nia knows she must be imagining the note of surprise in the Pokémon’s voice. She’s tempted to open her eyes and peek for an expression, but doesn’t want to lose her focus. “Can you feel it?”

Nia frowns, unsure. She thinks she can imagine what Val is talking about in a theoretical sense, but it’s nothing tangible that she _actually_ thinks is there. She can’t literally see the flame in her chest.

“Do not overthink. _Feel._ Focus on it like a physical part of your body. An organ. It is your soul. Your aura. What pushes you in life. What is important to you. Who you are, what you feel.”

Nia almost opens her mouth to protest—she thought the point of meditation was to empty and calm her mind, not work it up—but thinks better of it and simply tries to follow Val’s advice.

Her fire. Her motivation. Who she is.

She is...a human. Right? But she’s in the Pokémon world. No, no, she’s definitely human, and she desperately wants to return to her old life, to her family and friends and all those she loves so much that her chest aches at the thought of losing them for good.

But for right now, she is...a Seeker? An adventurer. Sort of, at least. She has to admit that some small part of her already loves seeing this world, helping others, experiencing so many amazing things. She’s a curious sort, and there’s new things to learn every second in the Pokemon world.

Her motivation, though? Well, she supposes it’s to become a Seeker, technically, but only so she can reach her ultimate goal. She just wants to find answers, and to go home. To become human again.

What else is there? Oh! How she feels. Well at the moment she’s…frustrated. Frustrated and upset with Tobias, for not giving her a real chance and for being such a bitter person. Disappointed, after she’d been so sure he would be nicer as a teammate. But she’s also…hopeful. Hopeful and curious about the human-turned-Pokémon in Afon’s Cap, excited to meet her and maybe find someone who truly understands her predicament. Who can remind her of home.

Home. The people Nia knows she left behind coming here…they give her so many emotions. She still can’t quite place any real details about them, but she knows the heartbreak she feels is real, the longing and the warm affection in her chest ballooning so large it feels as if it’ll break her ribs.

She needs to get home. So right now, she’s determined to figure out this aura thing. She’s Nia, and she _will_ figure this out. She feels the determination swell in her chest, imagines the blue light in her growing stronger and brighter. Can almost _feel_ it.

“Open your eyes.”

Nia frowns but follows the direction, eyes blinking open. A faint glow catches her eye immediately, and she looks down to see her chest glowing with the faintest blue light, lining the edges of her fur in an almost ethereal way. Nia yelps, flailing out of her pose. When she looks back at her chest, heart pounding, the light surrounding her is gone. That was—her light isn’t real, she just imagined it, so how—?

Val hums a quiet sound, and Nia looks to her with wide eyes.

“That was your aura.”

“I-It’s real!” Nia says, flabbergasted. “I mean, I read about it so I knew that aura had to be real somehow, b-but it looked like how I imagined my light to be, a-and…did I make it real? How did I do that?”

Val shrugs. “It is innate to Pokémon with psychic or aura abilities. I simply guided you to it.”

Nia blinks and looks down at herself, raising a tentative paw to touch her chest. “H-How...how do I do that again?”

Val falls back into teacher mode. “You have been convinced of your power’s existence. You should be able to access it more easily now. Focus on the aura within you, on the core of your being. Imagine it moving out to other parts of your body. Try to concentrate it into your paw.”

Nia nods, sitting again. She closes her eyes, holding out a paw and trying to imagine that light back in her chest. Burning. Not painfully, but just...warm. Powerful. Bright and blue. When the light she imagines at her core seems strong and steady, she squints open her eyes, disheartened to see her hand looking as it usually does. No light. A glance down at her heart confirms the same.

“Aura stems from emotion,” Val offers. “Focus on what makes you feel strongly.”

Nia closes her eyes and nods, brow furrowing. Right. She’d been thinking of her home in the human world before. She focuses on that light, _her_ light, thinks of her family that she can’t remember and the aching in her chest. Finally, the fire grows, flaring as if she’d thrown lighter fluid onto it. She feels herself smile. The riolu thinks of Tobias next, of how frustrated he makes her feel, how he hurts her feelings when he snaps, and she feels the light grow larger. She thinks of Maggie and Xander and Andyn, of how she wants to get to know them more, of how much she appreciates their kindness, and—

“Look down.”

The riolu does, and bites back a gasp. Her chest is glowing with a faint blue light.

“Gather it in your paw, like drops of water into a pool. Manifest it.”

Nia tries, tensing the muscles of her arm and focusing her energy, the light, into the palm of her hand as if she were pouring it down her wrist and into her palm. Slowly, the light seems to grow brighter, stronger. Then, the tiniest flicker of light, beautiful and fragile like a candle flame, shivers into existence in her hand.

She just stares at it, mesmerized, until Val says, “Return it.”

Nia swallows and focuses, trying to absorb the light back into herself. It’s a little difficult, as if the energy had become more solid outside of her body, but eventually it does dissipate. As the light fades, Nia’s surprised to note her breathing is heavy.

“Training with energy is as exhausting as training your body,” Val explains.

Nia nods, looking up at her. “S-So that was okay?”

Val nods, although she isn’t smiling. Nia is starting to learn that doesn’t mean the medicham is unhappy. “You are doing fine. You are a stranger to this body. Do not fret.”

Nia straightens up at the encouragement, beaming. Val moves to sit down right in front of the riolu, legs crossed. Nia copies her relaxed posture and waits, ready to learn more.

“Emotion is connected to aura in another way. Not just as a power source, but through detection.”

Nia blinks, surprised. She remembers reading something about this, but didn’t think it meant it literally! “L-Like...an empath? Reading other people’s emotions?”

Val nods. She must see Nia’s discomfort, because she tilts her head. “You are troubled.”

“I-It just...sort of seems like an invasion of privacy? Being able to read people like that without their consent? I mean, that’s how it works, right?”

Val’s gaze darkens. “You must control your power and use it as you see fit. With practice, you will be able to turn your emotion sensing on and off. It will be up to you to avoid reading others without their permission.”

Nia swallows. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”

“A responsibility that I trust you not to misuse,” Val responds, not quite a threat. “Seeing through words to feel honest emotion is an invaluable skill that could save your life. Not all Pokémon have good intentions.”

Nia frowns, recognizing the truth of that statement. It could certainly help, and she knows herself. She wouldn’t use it for any immoral purposes. So…

“O-Okay. Please teach me.”

Val nods, seeming satisfied. “Aura sensing is different than manifesting your aura into energy for attacking. As a psychic type, I do not have the same capabilities in that sense. I can only give you the basics of aura reading.”

Nia looks back down at her hands, closing them into fists and feeling amazement rise up in her. She knew all Pokémon were different, but... “S-So...only riolu can do aura stuff? Like reading emotions?”

Val nods. “The riolu line, yes. Lucario as well.”

Nia frowns. When she’d read up on riolu, it had mentioned the lucario species a few times. Apparently riolu...became lucario somehow? They called the process “evolution”, but it clearly wasn’t the sciencey evolution Nia knew from biology class, done over generations. Maybe it’s a maturation process? But she’s already an adult, so when would this happen? The riolu considers asking Val, but decides to hold back and question Maggie about it later. Val’s already teaching her so much today.

Val shuts her eyes, so Nia follows her lead.

“Find your aura once more. Breathe, relax, and focus.”

Nia takes a deep inhale before releasing it again, relaxing her body. She imagines that little blue flame in her chest, and concentrates on it.

“Channel into that energy. Expand it outward until you come across my own aura.”

“Expand it?” Nia echoes, uncertain. She tries to flare the energy, make it burn larger, but it doesn’t even get close to the edges of her body. The flame is too weak, barely even leaving her chest in short spurts.

Val hums. “Try to relax your aura. Do not flex it. Let it flow from you like a breath. Like a limb. A veil.”

Nia furrows her brow. How in the world is she supposed to do that? It took her a full afternoon of flexing her butt muscles just to figure out how her tail worked, and that’s an _actual_ limb! She mentally prods at her light, her aura, tries to stretch it out. It simply flickers brighter before shrinking back to normal.

“Do not use it as a blast of energy. Try to thin it out.”

Nia bites back a frustrated whine. She wants to question Val more, but knows that the medicham is doing her best to teach something she herself has never exactly experienced. So she tries, over and over, to stretch that light and make it grow.

“Stop.”

Nia does, peeking up at the medicham. She realizes she’s panting hard, heart racing and muscles tense.

“Take a rest,” Val commands, before her dark eyes slip past Nia. The riolu follows her gaze to see a steaming, out-of-breath Tobias and a cheery Azami walking over. The two sit down near them.

“How’s it going over here, ladies?”

Val nods. “Well. Nia learns quickly.”

Nia straightens up at the unexpected praise.

“Wish I could say the same for this one,” Azami teases, giving Tobias a playful nudge with her elbow. The charmander growls, looking like he wants to set the flowery Pokemon ablaze. “You’re pretty set in your ways, Spitfire!”

Tobias doesn’t answer, pointedly looking away.

Azami smiles at Nia. “So you’re getting the hang of aura, huh?”

Nia laughs. “U-Uh, sort of. Trying to figure out how to stretch out my aura right now. For aura reading? I think?”

“You’ll get it figured out in no time, I’m sure.” Azami turns her grin on Val. “You’ve got yourself a great teacher, after all!”

Val gives Azami a nod of thanks. “Having a riolu or lucario available for teaching would be ideal. Unfortunately, we must try to translate these abilities without one.”

“There aren’t any other riolu near here?” Nia asks, curious.

“Nope! You’re actually a pretty rare Pokemon to see around the Haven,” Azami says. “Riolu and lucario tend to stay in isolated packs, so we don’t usually run into any around here!”

Nia isn’t sure how to feel about that.

Val and Azami call an official stop for a snack break, so the four of them munch on the berries that Nia and Toby had picked up in the morning before arriving. As usual, the charmander doesn’t answer Nia’s attempts at conversation, so she takes to chatting with Azami about the other guild members practicing nearby.

There’s a tiny brown fox pokemon dodging bursts of water from her partner, a wooper, and a lone purple monkey-like Pokemon…juggling? With its feet and tail, nimbly cartwheeling around while managing to keep the berries it’s using in the air. Maybe some sort of agility or dexterity training? Or maybe he just really likes juggling.

The loud _crack_ of splintering wood garners their attention, and they all turn to watch as a lime green gecko with a leaf for a tail strikes at one of the training dummies that Tobias apparently has a reputation for destroying. The gecko pauses, stance wide, and holds his hands close together, almost like he’s holding an invisible ball. A moment later a bright green energy starts to build in the gap.

“Soren’s finally starting to get the hang of energy ball,” Azami explains, fondly. “Knew he had it in him! He’s going to kick tail once he gets it under control.”

Right on cue, the energy swirling in the lizard’s hands seems to come unraveled, dissipating in a flash of green. The Pokemon—Soren—slumps in clear frustration. Azami sighs. “Poor kid’s been working on that for weeks now. He can call up the energy, but can’t seem to get it to keep its form afterwards.”

Val calm, half-lidded eyes lift with interest. “He learned to form the energy in his hand first, yes?”

Azami sits up at Val’s attention. “Uh, yeah. He can use a grassy force palm, more or less. But that’s it for now.”

Val sets her meal aside and turns her whole body to Nia. The riolu would say she almost looks _eager,_ at least in her own stoic way. Nia puts her own berry aside, curious.

“Perhaps we are starting too ambitious. With your aura,” Val says. “Pool your aura into your paw.”

Nia swallows, nervous as she closes her eyes and finds her aura. It’s still strange and takes a few moments, but she thinks it’s getting easier the more she does it. After finding that blue flame, she once again sends it towards her hand, feeling it move slow as honey into her fingertips. She peeks open her eyes, pleased to see the now-familiar blue glow. But what now?

Val reaches out her own hand, slow enough for Nia to track what she’s doing, and then touches the riolu’s palm. Nia bites back a gasp and squeezes her eyes shut, suddenly understanding what Val’s plan is. Nia’s aura is right there, under the skin of her hand, and when she touches Val—

She can _see_ her.

Not in the normal way, not by sight, but she can see the medicham’s…energy? Val’s is bright orange, flickering faintly throughout the shape of her entire body, not nearly as concentrated as Nia’s aura is. It’s just a stable sort of _life,_ a pulse thrumming under the other Pokemon’s skin. Nia turns her attention to the orange color, and somehow feels like she can read what this aura represents, like she can read the very DNA of what makes Val who she is, how her soul is shaped.

She’s orange, but not orange like a mournful, bleeding sunset or the soft, hopeful orange of a flower’s petals. Instead, she is the orange of a bright, ripe, tropical fruit. Nia thinks of the sharp, sweet tang of biting into an orange, the powerful warmth of a summer sun, its confidence and sharp, stern solidity, with a soft, sweet undertone. She understands, but she doesn’t know how she does.

Val’s hand yanks away, and Nia collapses forward, suddenly all too aware of how she’s wheezing for breath and her heart is pounding in her chest, her fingers shaking as they clutch at the ground. Her aura rebounds sharply back into her chest. She takes a few moments to gasp for breath before looking up at Val. The medicham stares back, and for a moment Nia’s terrified that she did something wrong, that she went too far somehow and betrayed the trust that Val had so kindly entrusted her with. She doesn’t know what she’s doing, how could she have _stopped_ it—

But then the medicham just leans closer, reaching out a tentative hand as if she wants to place it on her back, and asks, “Are you all right?”

Oh. Nia hasn’t seen the medicham concerned before. At least, she thinks that’s what it is. She nods, trying to reign in her trembling and her roaring pulse. She glances past Val, seeing Azami watching with her own worried expression. Tobias stares at her with something uncertain and closed off, like he doesn’t know how to react to all of this. Nia almost laughs, because that’s been her reaction to her entire life the past week.

“I-I’m…I’m fine?” Nia rasps, more question than assurance. She looks back to Val. “I saw you. I saw your aura.”

Val leans back, intrigue starting to edge out the quiet concern. “Explain.”

Nia slowly manages to sit back up, feeling herself stabilize a bit. She feels sore, and exhausted, but it doesn’t feel like she’s on the verge of shaking apart anymore. “You’re, um. Orange?”

“What does that mean?” Tobias asks, almost aggressively.

Val doesn’t answer, giving Nia an encouraging nod, so the riolu does her best to recall the sensation of Val’s soul. How does she even describe something like that in words? She’s still not even sure how to logically understand it _herself._

“I…don’t know. I don’t know how to describe it. It was just like…I could see what kind of person she is?”

“Not too terrible, I hope,” Val says.

It takes a beat for Nia to realize the stoic Pokemon is joking, and she laughs, maybe a bit hysterical. “N-No, not at all! You felt, um…like, stern and strong, but warm.” _And a little sweet,_ she adds silently, already embarrassed. It sounds so dumb when she says it aloud. She should have suspected the medicham has a sweet side—she offered to take on their team, after all, and that’s a heck of a tall order.

“Sounds dumb,” Tobias snorts. “What’s the point of being able to read aura? You could just talk to someone and know the same things about ‘em.”

Val hums. “Sensing a Pokemon’s true character could be invaluable among strangers and potential enemies. It appears you will have to use physical contact for now. But it could be a very useful ability as your aura powers grow stronger.”

“Oh! Yeah!” Azami cuts in. “And aura can be used for battles too.”

Val nods. “And for sensing emotions.”

Nia perks up at that. “Y-You seemed to think I would be able to sense emotions right away. But I don’t think I did?”

Val shakes her head. “I believe you must look at the aura differently, for that. I am not quite sure how, unfortunately.”

There’s a beat of quiet, save for Tobias going back to munching on his food and the ambient sounds of Pokemon practicing their moves around them.

“Could I try again?” Nia asks. A subtle frown pulls at Val’s face, so she hurries to add, “I’m okay! Really!” Was the medicham actually worried or just annoyed? It’s so hard to read her.

A beat more of hesitation, then Val gestures at Nia’s abandoned berry. “Eat first. We will try again. I have an exercise in mind.”

Nia nods and eagerly returns to her meal. She’s nothing if not curious, and this aura reading ability is unlike anything she’s ever experienced. She thinks so, at least. It certainly doesn’t compare to anything she _remembers_ about her human life. Maybe some crazy technology stuff, but nothing _she_ could do.

When they all finish their food, Azami drags a reluctant Tobias back to where they were training before. Val and Nia face each other again, and the medicham holds out her hand. “I have an idea. I will think of different memories, and you can watch my aura. See if it changes with my emotions.”

Nia tries not to look too starry-eyed, but the medicham is really making it difficult with how many clever ideas she’s coming up with. The riolu nods, takes the other Pokemon’s hand, and closes her eyes to let her aura pool down into her paw. As soon as it gathers into her fingers and reaches Val’s skin, the medicham’s body lights up into a silhouette of bright orange behind her eyelids.

“Ready,” Nia says.

“Go. We must be quick so your power doesn’t drain.”

Nia frowns and focuses on the faint orange aura swirling through the medicham, and the longer she looks, the more her eye is drawn to the medicham’s chest, where the energy is brightest. Oh. Oh, of course. Just like Nia’s aura sits in her chest like a heartbeat, so does Val’s. It’s a tiny flame, like hers, but also strangely liquid. As she watches it, the aura shivers and slows, dimming, and a piece of emotion that Nia has no reason to feel sinks into her own chest.

Sadness. Melancholy, maybe. Something heavy and suffocating. Nia’s breath catches. That isn’t her. That’s not _her_ sadness. She’s feeling it, but it doesn’t feel quite _right,_ isn’t coming from _her._ It’s alien, foreign, like a mildly ill-fitting sweater borrowed from a friend, or an unfamiliar car she doesn’t know how to use by muscle memory. Something muted that she’s experiencing only through a window, not directly.

Before she can say anything, Val’s energy shifts again, spiking out fast and sharp. Nia almost winces at the feeling prickling at her own energy. Anger. Annoyance? Something along those lines, for sure.

Again, the energy morphs, calming itself into something steady, but flaring brighter, something almost playful in the way it flickers and shakes. A warm happiness washes over Nia, and a breathless giggle slips past her lips.

The next moment, the aura sours and pulls itself tight, shuddering and recoiling ( _fear?_ ), and Val’s hand is ripped away again.

Nia falls forward, barely catching herself on her hands before faceplanting into the ground. Oh, _ow,_ her aura rebounds back into her chest with a snap, and those borrowed emotions evaporate like mist, leaving her with harsh, heaving breaths and a bit of nausea. Why do her _muscles_ hurt?

This time, Val’s hand does find her back, resting there as a comforting, anchoring warmth. Nia remembers the short blip of fear she’d felt (was that for _her_ well-being?) and lifts a shaky hand to give the medicham a thumbs-up while she catches her breath. She worries that she’s going to throw up (she _hates_ throwing up, she remembers that), but after breathing for a minute or so, she feels better. Still exhausted, but at least able to sit up.

“You are okay?” Val asks, meeting her eyes.

Nia laughs. “Yeah! Yeah, I am. I...I think it worked?”

Val finally sits back, relaxing. “Tell me.”

The riolu nods, eager to explain but opening her mouth only to lose her words. How…how does she explain what she just felt? What she experienced? She can’t explain how she understood the aura, felt those emotions herself even. Somehow, she just _knew_. It’s like knowing how to breathe, like babies knowing laughter without understanding the idea of joy. The waves of aura spoke to her in a way she intuitively knew how to understand.

It’s incredible.

Val must pick up on her issue, because she nods. “I understand. I cannot explain my powers well, either. What emotions did you feel?”

Nia feels her ears flick back as a shyness overcomes her. It still feels so personal to talk about someone else’s aura, all of their deeply held feelings. Even more so with Val, who is always so controlled on the outside. “Uh. I think first you were…sad? And then angry. Or annoyed, maybe? Then you were happy!” Nia hesitates, and then adds, “Right before you pulled away you felt kind of…afraid? I think.”

Val nods her confirmation, and Nia feels a burst of pride. “Correct, mostly. Frustration, not anger. But practicing will better your accuracy and precision.”

Nia can’t help a happy little wiggle at her success. This is so _cool!_

“Reading different auras will improve your ability. Remember to ask before practicing on someone else,” Val says. “Unless they are an enemy.”

Nia nods, happiness dying away into something more serious. “Of course!”

“Did I hear a success over there?” Azami calls. Tobias is flat on his back and surrounded by scorch marks. He’s glaring up at the ceiling. Yikes, that must not be going well.

“Y-Yeah!” Nia calls back.

The tsareena walks over to them, Tobias rolling his head to watch with narrowed eyes but not rising to follow. “Would you like to try it on me?” Azami asks. “If you aren’t too worn out.”

Nia perks up, but catches Val shaking her head out of the corner of her eye. “No. No more for today. Riolu almost passed out earlier.”

Azami meets Nia’s crestfallen look with a smile. “Cheer up! We can always try it next time.” She turns to head back over to Tobias, calling a cheery “Good job, by the way!” over her shoulder.

“So you are aware,” Val says, catching Nia’s attention again. “It is obvious when you use your aura powers. Others will be able to tell, physical contact aside.”

Nia blinks. “Oh. Could you, uh, feel it?”

Val shakes her head and points to the tear-drop shaped _things_ on either side of Nia’s head. “Your body glows with your aura, and those lift. I believe they aid in channeling and controlling aura.”

“They do?” Nia feels them, curious. Huh. She’d been wondering for days what they were for. Interesting.

“With practice you should be able to hide such obvious visual tells,” Val adds, thoughtfully. “Eventually.”

Val climbs to her feet, and Nia gets up to do the same, falling back to her knees as her head suddenly spins.

“Rest for the remainder of the day,” Val says, voice distant to Nia’s ringing ears. “You are not used to the strain of aura.”

“But...” Nia glances over at Tobias, now back to slashing wildly at Azami, who neatly dodges each strike. It feels unfair for her to go back to their room and rest while he still has to train, even if she _is_ upset with him.

“Go rest. If you must do something, practice meditating. Or read about moves. Maggie has told me of your love of books.”

Nia sighs and nods. She has a few questions for the meganium, anyways. “Got it.”

As she carefully rises to her feet, making sure she’s steady enough to walk, the medicham nods approvingly. “Good job today.”

Nia beams as if the medicham had written her a glowing review. “Thank you! I’ll see you later!”

The medicham goes to help Azami with Tobias, and Nia slowly makes her way out of the training area. The stairs are going to be killer. Sure enough, it has to be nearly twenty minutes later that Nia finally makes it to the medical floor. She passes by Fen’s office, glancing in.

The leafy Pokemon is hard at work at her desk—wait, no. _Their_ desk, Nia corrects. Tobias had snapped at her once already for messing that up. Fen has always been such a warm, inviting face when Nia says hi to them in passing, and for a heartbeat, Nia itches to interrupt and ask if she can use her newfound powers to see the leafeon’s aura, to see what color it is. But that would probably be rude on a number of levels, and Fen _definitely_ wouldn’t like Nia potentially throwing up or passing out from the strain. Still, she’s curious. She bets their aura is a comforting pink, or maybe a chocolate brown, like their eyes. Can auras be brown?

Nia shakes off the urge and moves on quietly, making her way back to Maggie’s room. The meganium looks like she only recently returned from gathering herbs, intently sorting through fresh plants on her desk.

Nia hesitates at the doorway. “Hi, Maggie.”

“Hm?” The meganium seems distracted, but then lights up at the sight of Nia. “Hello, dear! Back from training?”

The riolu smiles. “Y-Yeah. Sorry for bothering you.”

“Oh, hush, you’re doing nothing of the sort. Come over here, tell me how training went. You look exhausted. Is Tobias not with you?”

“N-No. Val sent me back early. We did a lot of aura training today and it wiped me out. I-I can see people’s auras now, though! And read their emotions. Kinda.”

Maggie smiles and pulls her vines away from her work to tug Nia against her side in a hug. “That’s fantastic, dear! Would you like to show me? Or are you too tired?”

Nia’s exhausted, and she knows that Val would shoot her a disapproving look for even thinking about trying out her aura powers again so soon, but there’s no way she can turn Maggie’s enthusiasm down! Or her own curiosity, for that matter. “S-Sure! Uh. Give me a sec.”

Nia closes her eyes and puts her hand on Maggie’s leg before reaching for her aura, for that ball of energy in her chest. Despite it getting easier to find, to _call_ to her, she immediately feels the strain put onto her body. She hurries to send her energy down to her palm, letting it reach out to brush against Maggie. The meganium’s silhouette bursts to life behind her eyelids. Her color is a lively purple, like fresh lavender. It’s beautiful, soft and vibrant and organic. It brings to mind the comfort, the peace and protection, of lying down in a field of flowers on a warm summer day, where nothing bad can happen.

When Nia brushes her aura closer to find Maggie’s emotions, ignoring the distant screaming of her muscles, her connection almost snaps back in surprise. There’s a bit of that same fear that she’d seen in Val, right before she pulled her hand away ( _worry?_ ), but more than that...Maggie’s aura is almost overwhelming in its warmth, in the genuine affection that settles over Nia like a soft blanket straight out of the dryer. It’s like a wave of fondness, a protective and nurturing feeling.

And in this context, with Maggie focused entirely on her, there’s no one else the meganium could be directing it at. This love is for _her_. To say that Nia is unprepared for it is an understatement, considering Maggie has only known her for a week.

Nia’s aura finally rebounds, and she falls back to reality as her legs buckle underneath her. Blinking away bright blue and purple after-images, Nia notes that she’s breathing hard again, and that the nausea is back to churning in her stomach (Oh God, not listening to Val was a _bad_ idea). Maggie is fretting over her, near-frantic, vines hovering at the edge of Nia’s vision like the meganium is afraid that somehow _she_ did this, that she’ll hurt the riolu with her touch.

Shoving down her nausea, Nia looks up at the meganium, meeting wide, worried eyes with something like awe. Her throat chokes up. Tears blur her vision not due to the pain, but at the familiarity of the older Pokemon’s warm aura. It reminds her of her mother.

“Nia? Please dear, tell me what’s wrong. Did you hurt yourself? Should I get Fen? Val?”

The riolu laughs, still catching her breath, her voice watery with tears. “N-No, I’m fine. It’s just...”

Some of Maggie’s panic dies out when Nia speaks, and she hesitantly pets Nia’s head with a vine, patiently waiting for her to catch her breath.

“Y-You’re so full of love,” Nia chokes out, recognizing how corny the words sound.” You just...you already care about me. Like, actually care. It caught me off guard.”

Maggie looks surprised, but then her honey-gold eyes soften. “Of course, dear. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Nia has no words, so she just laughs through her tears and hugs the meganium, burying her face in Maggie’s leg. Maggie soothingly strokes her fur with a vine.

“Your aura’s p-purple, by the way,” Nia says, words muffled. “It’s really pretty.”

Maggie laughs. “Well, that’s good to know! Too bad I can’t show it off. It sounds like a lovely color.”

Nia giggles too, feeling an overwhelming burst of happiness and fondness for the meganium. The two stay like that for a while, Nia’s harsh breathing calming down only to be replaced by sore muscles and a pounding headache. She’s never ignoring Val’s advice again.

Nia eventually manages to pull herself away, wiping at her eyes. “S-Sorry for crying all over you. Did you get a good haul today?”

“Don’t apologize for feeling, dear.” Maggie, seeing that Nia has recovered, goes back to sorting her plants. “I found most of what I need, yes, but I do miss Tobias’ help. My eyes are not what they used to be. I would hire a new hand to assist me, but I don’t want Tobias to get upset and feel like I’m replacing him.”

Nia, sitting on the ground and leaning back against the desk, sighs at the mention of the charmander. God, what is she going to do with him? They’ve only been partners for a few days, so maybe he just needs more time to open up, but…Nia’s not sure if she can manage to wait that long. She doesn’t have as thick of skin as she thought she did.

“How is everything going with him?” Maggie asks, voice carefully neutral.

For a heartbeat, Nia considers lying. Then, she rasps, “Honestly? Not great.”

“Mm. I was afraid so. Would you like to talk about it?”

“...Aren’t you busy?”

“I can talk and sort at the same time,” Maggie says.

Nia huffs a quiet laugh. There’s a few moments of silence, and then Nia groans, pressing her palms into her eyes. Her head is _pounding._ “He’s just...I think he hates me.”

“He doesn’t,” Maggie says, sounding sympathetic. “That’s just...how he is.”

“But that’s not fair! He shouldn’t treat people like that!” Nia says, a little sharper than she means to. Maggie is clearly taken aback by the outburst.

“Sorry,” Nia says, quieter, pulling her knees up to herself. 

“It’s fine, dear,” Maggie says after a moment. “You just surprised me, is all.” There’s a moment of quiet, and then Maggie sighs. “Tobias has been...withdrawn since the day I met him. I can’t say how he was before he was found in the mountains. He wouldn’t talk much, initially, and I didn’t push him. He’s always been distant. Distrustful.”

“That’s understandable, if he went through something traumatic,” Nia murmurs. “But...”

Maggie looks sad, eyes distant and dark. “I know. I thought he would open up as time went on. Learn to trust again. Become less bitter. When I brought him back to the guild, he made...far from the best impression. Understandably, the other children did not much like the new Pokémon who was either curled up in bed crying or snapping at them for no reason. He picked fights constantly, and it didn’t help that many of them were weak to his fire. So the others ignored him and sniped at him in return. It turned into a vicious cycle, and now the poor boy’s made enemies of most of the guild. At least those his own age.”

Nia frowns, looking at her feet. Tobias’ horrible attitude is starting to make a lot more sense, but that still doesn’t make it _right_. But how is Nia supposed to say that to the Pokémon who has pretty much raised Tobias for years? She’d feel horrible. Plus it’s not like she would’ve known what to do instead.

“I’ve just tried to treat him with as much love as I can. I see him as my own son, and I just hope that one day he will soften up, grow from his past and make amends. I just want him to be happy.” Maggie turns to Nia with a soft smile, and Nia’s gut turns over. “That’s why I was so glad to hear that you were willing to give him a chance. He needs someone understanding like you to help him. Someone kind and patient.”

Nia nods, avoiding the meganium’s eyes and hugging herself uncomfortably. Maybe he does, but...she’s starting to wonder how kind and patient she actually is.

“However, dear, that does not mean I wish for you to sacrifice your own feelings. If you need to disband your team with Tobias, I understand. Put your own well-being first.”

Nia sighs, feeling more mucked up than she had when this conversation started. She thought talking with the older Pokémon would make her feel more at ease, not less. The headache isn’t helping, she’s sure. “Right. Thanks, Maggie.”

“Of course, dear. Why don’t you get some sleep? You have a lot to think on and you must be exhausted.”

Nia mumbles an agreement and gets up to go into her and Tobias’ shared alcove. She plops her aching body down into her nest and looks over at her stack of books, thinking about reading to escape her thoughts. Instead, her newly-dyed attack scarf catches her eye. It’s bright red, like Tobias’ own. She still hasn’t worn it, not quite sure how to make it work with the thick collar of fluff around her neck. She scoops it up with a paw, feeling the soft material between her fingers and looking at it thoughtfully in the dying evening light.

She wants to make this work. She really does. She just doesn’t know if she can.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension grows between Tobias and Nia as they try to rescue a lost tropius calf from a mystery dungeon.

“H-How about this one?”

Tobias over to where Nia is pointing at one of the notes on the mission board. He skims over the mission’s details, snorting. “No way.”

“But it’s close to Afon’s Cap, right?”

“Yeah, but there’s only one mission and it’s not even worth that many points. The rewards suck.”

Nia’s ears pin back, but she only keeps her disappointed expression for a heartbeat. Then her brow furrows and her lip twitches, as if she’s itching to snarl at him. “Fine, you pick then,” she mumbles, stalking a few feet away to rummage through the supplies bag slung over her shoulder. 

Really? She's pouting just because he doesn't want to waste their time going all the way to Afon's Cap?

Tobias huffs, snatching a low-level mystery dungeon mission off the board and marching right past the riolu, not bothering to say what he’d chosen. It’s a fairly close location, with a few floors of dungeon-crawling necessary. Tobias needs to beat up some ferals to vent. Nia’s been acting weird for days now, and it’s really starting to tick him off.

Once he reaches the quieter seclusion of the tunnels, Tobias can hear Nia’s soft footsteps following him from a few lengths back. They silently make the journey through the underground and up into the forest itself, trekking through the foliage and deeper into the forest. At one point Nia stops to grab a fallen branch, as she usually does for missions that require combat. He doesn’t know why she insists on fighting with it—she’d be stronger if she just used her moves—but he’s going to bring it up eventually if she doesn’t fix the habit herself. They continue until they reach a wide, open field of tall, yellowed grass. The whole walk takes maybe a half hour or so, really not that far, but Tobias finds that without Nia’s questions and frequent comments it’s weirdly uncomfortable.

He glances back at her. Nia’s looking around, clearly enjoying the sunshine on her fur, holding the branch like a walking staff. However, whenever she notices him watching her, she quickly averts her eyes with an uneasy expression. Tobias feels a jab of anger and curls his hands into fists. Fine. She doesn’t want to talk? That’s just fine by him.

Tobias freezes, anger forgotten, as an increasingly familiar sensation suddenly weighs down on him, tingly and dangerous. This is a dungeon zone. He carefully scans the grass ahead, frowning when he just barely manages to spot an inconspicuous hole in the ground, around his size. An…underground dungeon? Great. That probably means ground types.

Tobias cautiously approaches the pit, pausing at the lip of the tunnel and feeling himself tense when he sees the stone stairs leading down into darkness. It looks pitch black down there. At least he has his tail to light the way, but...

Nia doesn’t comment on the dungeon’s appearance, so Tobias puts on a brave face and ducks into the entrance. Immediately, the terrain changes and flips, Tobias’ stomach along with it. When the ground finally settles, the charmander looks around, wary. Even with his sharp eyes it’s impossible to see their surroundings, save for the halo of light from his tail flame. Thank Entei for that. The walls seem to be solid and rocky, the air cool and damp.

“I-Is it normal for a dungeon to be this dark?” Nia whispers.

Tobias considers not answering, just to be petty, but then sighs and shakes his head. They have a mission to do. “Not usually, but it’s not unheard of for underground dungeons. We should be fine with my flame.”

Nia nods, clearly waiting for him to take the lead, and he does, swinging his tail around and holding it near the tip to light the way like a torch.

“W-What floor is our objective?” Nia whispers.

“Fifth. We have to rescue a lost tropius calf.” Before Nia can ask, he drawls, “Grass and flying type, brown and green. Kind of shaped like Maggie—long neck, four legs.”

There’s a moment of quiet save for their steps and a few distant sounds among the caves, echoes of growls and the clatter of pebbles. Then Nia murmurs, “It must be so scared, especially as a flying type. They hate being underground, right?”

Tobias doesn’t like to think about it, honestly. The Pokémon _is_ just a kid, after all. “Yeah. The quicker we find the calf, the better.”

From there they return to silence as they search for the stairs. Aside from the frequent tripping they do over larger rocks or holes, the dungeon proves to be especially annoying because it’s hard to see the entirety of some of the bigger rooms with their one small light, so they end up having to walk more to be sure they don’t miss a staircase.

Plus there’s the unnerving echoes of the ferals around them, hiding just out of sight in the shadows. Right on cue, something screeches in the darkness, a leathery fluttering following, and the Pokemon swoops at Tobias’ face from the darkness of the ceiling. He dodges, seeing Nia duck under the Pokémon with a yelp. More flapping, and then it dives again. Tobias growls and shoots a cloud of embers at it, rolling away when the thing doesn’t go down even after a nasty burn. A zubat, maybe?

It swoops in again, and Tobias times his leap perfectly, swiping the Pokémon out of the air with a metal claw and flinging it to the ground. Nia hesitates before jumping in, knocking it out with an overhead swing of her branch. Even with the makeshift weapon she looks incredibly uncomfortable with combat, but the hit does its job.

Now that it’s still, Tobias can see that their attacker is actually a swoobat. Psychic type. Great. Nia better not get cornered by one of these things. He should probably warn her, but when he looks up at her she stares back at him without a word, ears flicking nervously and not even asking him what kind of Pokemon it is. He frowns and turns to continue their exploration.

They stumble across an apple and a pecha berry that they gratefully pocket before finally finding the staircase leading deeper underground. The two of them take it, and Tobias can’t help feeling irritated that the lower floors are equally as dark.

A yip and a snarl is their only warning before a fluffy four-legged Pokémon, low to the ground, charges at them. Tobias jumps over it, shooting an ember attack the direction it went and growling when it hits nothing. Even worse, his fire seems weaker than usual. Is it because it’s so damp? Or is it an effect of being underground?

Before he can get an answer, the Pokémon charges them again, managing to slam into Tobias’ side before Nia catches it with a powerful swing of her branch. The Pokémon yelps and rolls into the dirt. Tobias takes his chance and leaps on it, giving it an ember attack to finish it off.

When it’s unconscious, Tobias swings his tail around to get a better look. Furry tan body and floppy ears, and a collar of stones around its neck. A rockruff. Tobias takes a moment to make sure it’s out cold before they move on.

The next two floors are relatively uneventful. More darkness, more annoyingly wet cave air, more attacks from ferals who thankfully aren’t that difficult to defeat. And more frigid silence between the two of them.

Seriously, what is with Nia lately? Tobias almost prefers the previous week’s annoying chatter to this stony silence. She’s clearly upset with him today for rejecting her Afon’s Cap mission (There’s no point! The mission rewards are awful!), but there’s no way he’s apologizing to her for it. At least they’re on the fourth floor and should be out of here soon. Hopefully she’ll be over her mood by tomorrow.

Tobias is broken out of his mulling by a quiet noise ahead of him, and he tenses up, falling into a battle stance.

Silence.

The sound stopped. So what—

The ground under Tobias’ feet bulges and cracks. He throws himself forward to dodge, rolling around in time to see a sandshrew burst out of the ground, claws bared. Nia stumbles back and out of the halo of light with a surprised yelp.

The sandshrew whips around to look at Tobias, eyes narrowing to pained slits. His tail flame must hurt its sensitive vision. Good.

Tobias springs to his feet and sucks in a breath, spewing out an extra hot cloud of embers at the ground type. The sandshrew squeals and immediately digs into the earth, away from the light. For a moment it’s quiet, and Tobias thinks that it’s ran off.

But then the earth once again explodes from underneath his feet, and the sandshrew manages to score its claws up his leg. He sucks in another breath to spit out embers, only for the sandshrew to immediately dive back into the ground, away from the light.

Ambush attacks? That’s unusually clever for a feral. And annoying. A moment later, the sandshrew leaps out at him from the left in a shower of rubble, and Tobias spins to meet it, just a tad too slow. His metal claw deflects most of its slash attack, but it gets in a scratch on his side. Tobias snarls, feeling his anger start to rise as he spins, looking around for the sandshrew. It must’ve vanished into the ground again.

“Come out and fight me!” He yells.

The sandshrew erupts from the dirt behind him, tackling him down to the ground. Before it can do any real damage, Tobias hears the patter of footsteps. The sandshrew squeals as Nia slams into it with a full-body tackle, and the weight leaves his back as the two go rolling. Tobias staggers to his feet and tries to jump in, but as soon as he gets close the sandshrew burrows out of sight again.

“For Moltres’ sake!” He growls, frustrated, wiping away the blood dripping from his nose. Darn thing slammed his face into the ground when it tackled him.

“It seems to be going after you,” Nia says, stepping close to him so they stand almost back to back. “I think the light hurts its eyes.”

“Then it should just leave us alone!” Tobias snarls, loudly, hoping the sandshrew will hear him and understand somehow. They both wait, panting. Just as Tobias thinks that it’s gone, the familiar sound of digging reaches his ears.

Nia swallows, loud in the cavernous space. “M-Maybe we should just run?”

“And risk running into more ferals to deal with alongside this guy? No way.”

“B-But if we can’t see it then how can we—oh!“ Nia cuts herself off, eyes going wide. Before Tobias can question her, she closes her eyes and crouches to press her palms to the dirt, frowning in concentration.

“What’re you—“

“Shh!” Nia waves him off, frowning harder. A second later, she begins to glow blue, ever-so-slightly. The teardrops on her head lift and quiver as she concentrates. The riolu’s ears prick, and she turns her head to the right, and then to the left, eyes closed but clearly searching.

“Oh come on! You’ve had two days of aura training and you need _contact_ for it to work! You aren’t gonna be able to track it like that!”

Nia pauses, distracted from her task, but then goes back to frantically “looking” around with closed eyes. There’s anger in her tone when she snaps, “Would you just let me try? Maybe I can at least get a sense of where it is—“

“You didn’t even know how to access your aura powers! Why should I trust you know how to use them all of a sudden?!”

Nia’s eyes snap open, and she turns on him, throwing her arms out. “Because I’m your partner! At least let me try!”

Before Tobias can reply, the ground between them bulges and crumbles. Tobias stumbles back on instinct, and a heartbeat later the sandshrew erupts from the ground. Tobias trips and falls, almost missing Nia’s pained yelp with how loudly the blood is roaring in his ears.

When he shakes his head and blinks his eyes open, he sees the sandshrew burrowing away again. Nia’s on the ground, curled around herself with her paws pressed against her side--

Oh.

Despite their argument, something in his gut flips as he reads her body language and realizes she must be hurt. Tobias is up and running to her side before he can think about it, skidding to his knees and coercing her to uncurl and lay on her back. He winces at the slick shine of blood on the black of her belly fur. Hopefully it’s not deep, but he’s sure the gash hurts. Nia whimpers between clenched teeth.

Now what? Nia’s down and the sandshrew won’t leave them alone. He can’t risk staying here to fight the sandshrew and Nia passing out completely, but he refuses to use the rescue badges unless things really start looking dire. Can he manage to carry her to the stairs for them to recuperate on the next floor?

Before he can fully decide, he hears the sandshrew digging again. Tobias snarls, stumbling to his feet and moving away from Nia. The last thing he needs right now is her getting attacked again. Sure enough, the sandshrew comes busting out the ground, aiming for Tobias. The charmander ducks under it, barely avoiding its claws.

Then in one quick movement he darts over to Nia, yanks her up to lean heavily on his side, and pulls her along with staggering steps as he takes off in a random direction. Why does she have to be the same size as him? If he could just carry her this would be a lot easier. Nia trips, and Tobias grunts, just barely managing to pull her back to her feet and continue on, praying for a staircase. In the next room a zubat dives at them, and he stumbles around the Pokémon to continue, breathing hard and desperately searching for the—

Stairs! Tobias would shout with joy if he didn’t feel like his lungs were about to explode. Tightening his hold on Nia’s arm, he sprints to the stairs, the two of them nearly diving into the hole and onto the next floor.

When they tumble out onto solid, rocky ground, Tobias takes a moment to catch his breath, staring up at the darkness of the ceiling above. Nia whimpers quietly somewhere off to his side. He struggles to his feet and goes to Nia, rolling her onto her back before digging into the supplies pouch still strapped around her torso. C’mon, c’mon, he knows they packed some...

There! He grabs an Oran berry and lifts it to Nia’s mouth, patting her cheek to get her to open her eyes. “Hey, c’mon. Wake up.”

The riolu’s eyes crack open, glassy with tears.

“Eat this. It’ll help,” he says, tapping into his medical training to try and sound calm and reassuring.

Nia whines again, but then opens her mouth and accepts the berry, slowly chewing it up and swallowing. Her head flops back onto the dirt, but she makes a grateful sound.

Tobias pulls his tail around to peer at the gash on the riolu’s torso. It wasn’t deep, thankfully, just looked worse than it was, but he still combs aside bloody, sticky fur to see the skin beginning to stitch back together all the same. Good, it’s working.

Tobias heaves a relieved sigh. Just because he doesn’t like Nia doesn’t mean he wants her to get seriously hurt or anything. The charmander plops down beside the riolu, trying to stay vigilant as her body heals itself.

Within a few minutes, Nia lifts her head, mumbling, “Ugh...That was fun.” She moves to get up, but winces.

“Take it slow. You lost some blood.”

Nia nods, carefully sitting up. Tobias hands her the second oran berry. At her questioning look, he rolls his eyes. “You need it a lot more than me right now. Just eat it.”

The riolu frowns, but does as told. Almost immediately, some of the tension in her body visibly melts away. As she comes back to herself, she blinks, then looks at him with something like surprise.

“What?” He growls.

“You…You didn’t leave me.”

Tobias bristles, baring his teeth. He’s a jerk, not _evil._ “What, you _wanted_ me to let you bleed out?”

Nia shakes her head, but doesn’t look properly intimidated by his tone. If anything, she just looks…thoughtful. Ugh. That look means talking.

“Can you walk on your own?” He asks, hoping to deter her. “We’re on the fifth floor, so we should be close to the tropius.”

Nia opens her mouth to respond, only to be cut off by a distant sound, loud enough to echo throughout the tunnels. It sounds like a roar, or...a wail? Regardless, it sends chills up Tobias’ spine. He exchanges a nervous glance with Nia.

“W-What was that?” She whispers.

“After that sandshrew, I say we avoid it. Hopefully the tropius does too.”

Nia nods, and the two rise to their feet. Nia sways on her paws, holding out her arms to balance herself. She’s probably unsteady from using her aura powers and going through that rapid healing. When she’s steady, the two quietly creep away in the opposite direction of the roaring sound.

They take their search of the fifth floor slowly, more wary of dangerous Pokemon now that they’ve used up their oran berry stock. The ferals are oddly silent, hiding away in cracks in the cave walls, so while they don’t have to worry about as many fights, that’s only more reason to stay far away from whatever giant creature is making that horrible noise.

Tobias can tell the distant wails are putting Nia on edge too, and they give each room a quick, cursory sweep before moving on. Soon enough, they’ve been through every hall and every cavern they can find, aside from the tunnel leading to the loud howls that they’re avoiding. And yet, no tropius.

“C-Could the calf have moved on? Found the staircase and gone down a floor?” Nia asks. “Surely we didn’t miss it, right?”

“No, it should be a pretty big Pokémon, even as a kid,” Tobias mumbles. He takes a moment to dig through their bag and find one of their badges, clicking it on and checking their current assignment. Nope, still says floor five. “This should be the right place.”

“Oh no,” Nia suddenly says, looking stricken. “W-What if the baby is in that room? With whatever is making that sound?”

“That would be just our luck,” Tobias grumbles, replacing the badge. He glances in the direction of the wailing, shifting uncomfortably. He would really rather not go that way after they used up all their healing items, but...

“If the calf’s in there, th-then we have to help it,” Nia whispers, resolute. Still, when Tobias looks at her, he sees that her paws are shaking.

“Yeah, I know.” He cracks his knuckles and marches ahead. “C’mon, then. Duty calls.”

Nia follows him, and the pair carefully make their way closer and closer to the loud wailing. By time they reach the cavern it’s coming from, ducking just around the corner, it’s almost loud enough to hurt. Judging by Nia’s expression and pinned-back ears, it’s already painful for her sensitive hearing. 

“How should we do this?” Nia asks, almost talking at normal volume to be heard. “It’ll see you right away with your tail flame, but...”

“At least we’ll get to see what it is too, and if the tropius is in there with it.”

Nia thinks that information over, then reluctantly nods. “A-Are we just going for it, then?”

“Sounds like it.”

The two of them creep closer, and when Tobias darts into the room, flaring his tail flame to give them more light, he and Nia slide to a stop. Half-hidden in the shadowy light and rearing up in fear at their sudden appearance is the tropius calf. It’s huge, at least five or six times Tobias and Nia’s size, and it releases another panicked wail, scrambling back from the light.

Nia falls into a battle stance, and Tobias says, “Whoa, whoa, wait! That’s the tropius!”

Nia blinks at him, disbelief on her face. “ _That’s_ the baby?!”

Before he can answer the tropius cries out again, its roars pitching high and scared. The sound of something slicing through air is their only warning before razor sharp leaves fly by, nicking their skin. Nia yelps and hides behind a rock, and Tobias does the same. The tropius backs itself into a corner and starts frantically flapping its leafy wings. Huge gusts of wind blast by and down the tunnels.

“What do we do now?!” Nia shouts over the noise.

Tobias frowns. They have to get to the tropius somehow, but with it attacking like this... “Knocking it out would be the easiest option, but—"

“What?!” Nia’s voice is shrill. “No! You said it’s a baby! No way am I hurting that poor thing!”

“I said it’s the easiest option, not what we should do! Even _I_ don’t go around smacking babies! Arceus.”

“What _are_ you suggesting, then?”

Tobias stops to think. Even if they can’t hurt it, they still need to get the tropius under control before they can do anything. “We need to pin its wings so we can get close enough to warp it back to the guild.”

Nia shoots him a pained look. “That’ll scare it. Can’t we do something else? Calm it down or something?”

The tropius wails again, and Tobias winces, the terrified noise grating on him, making him itch to act. “ _You_ figure out the magic solution, then. I’m gonna get closer.”

“Wait, Tobias—!“

But he’s already gone, darting from rock to rock to avoid the tropius’ gusts of wind. It’s too bad it can easily track him by his tail flame in the darkness; it would be so much easier to sneak closer otherwise.

Tobias dodges another razor leaf attack by throwing himself onto his belly, and then ducks behind a cleft in the wall to avoid a flurry of wind. He waits a few moments, thinking. He doesn’t want to attack the calf, but he’s not sure how he’s going to restrain its powerful neck and wings otherwise. Maybe he could jump on its back, then warp them out right away before it has a chance to get its bearings?

Well. He’ll figure it out at he goes. Tobias sprints out and along the cave wall, lessening the wind resistance. The tropius sees him coming and cries out, blasting a powerful razor leaf at him that he just barely rolls under. He’s so close, just a bit more—

The tropius spins, clumsy in its youth but still incredibly powerful. Its tail swings around, scooping Tobias up and flinging him halfway across the cavern. He hits the ground with a pained, “Oof!” and stays there, trying to catch his breath. This is a disaster.

Just as Tobias lifts his head, looking back to the tropius, Nia’s voice rings out in the cavern. “H-Hey!”

Tobias stares as the riolu steps out from behind the rocks, body glowing ever-so-faintly with aura so the tropius‘ attention is immediately drawn to her. Before it has a chance to blast her with wind, eyes wild in the low light, Nia makes a sound like a sob.

…What?

The riolu starts crying—well, pretending to cry—with all the theatrical subtlety of a boulder to the head. She wails a pitiful sound, curling into a ball on the ground and hiding her face in her knees. She throws in a few pathetic sniffles, too, definitely too overdone to be real. It takes a moment, but Tobias realizes what she’s doing. Nothing throws a kid off more than their tantrum being countered by someone else’s. But no, there’s no way something so dumb and so _simple_ will work, right? This is a _mission,_ not babysitting duty in the nursery!

Yet, despite it all, the tropius has yet to blast the riolu into a wall. Instead, it’s watching Nia with wide, teary eyes, wings still and the raging wind died down into an oppressive silence. The tropius keens, sad and confused, and hesitantly steps forward from its spot in the corner of the room.

Nia continues to cry, throwing in a few literal “boo-hoos” while she’s at it. It’s overdramatic and ridiculous, and the tropius eats it right up, walking closer to Nia. It hesitates a few steps away from her, gaze flicking over to where Tobias is still lying on the ground across the room, before finally reaching Nia’s side. The baby tropius whines, nudging gently at the riolu with its snout.

Nia peeks up at the tropius, a giggle escaping her throat. The tropius coos, suddenly playful, in return. Nia sits up and reaches out a hand to pet feather-light at the tropius’ nose. The grass type rumbles a happy noise, stepping closer before sinking to the ground. Nia continues to stroke soothingly at the calf’s cheeks, murmuring words in a calming, almost motherly tone.

Tobias doesn’t dare get up and freak out the tropius all over again. Instead, he lies on the ground and watches in disbelief as Nia calms the giant Pokémon down from a monstrous frenzy to a rumbling, contented puddle of leaves and brown scales. He can’t believe that worked. He’d be furious that it worked if he wasn’t so shocked.

Another few moments to catch his breath, and then Tobias rises to his feet and carefully steps closer. The tropius slits open an eye at the approaching light, but then decides to ignore him, giving all its attention to Nia’s touch.

“I cannot believe that worked,” He says flatly.

Nia looks at him, quirking a smug smile. “I can have good ideas too, y’know.”

Tobias bristles at the condescending tone. He could’ve just as easily come up with that strategy! She doesn’t have to sound so superior about it. He growls and jams his hand into their bag to pull out their rescue badges. He nearly throws Nia’s when handing it over, and together the two of them call for a pick-up, waiting only a few moments before being teleported away, tropius in tow.

After the millisecond of nausea, Tobias finds himself, Nia, and the baby tropius in one of the psychic assistance offices. The tropius lets out a distressed noise at the sudden change of location, but before Nia can soothe it a voice thick with tears sobs, “Mirri!”

Tobias and Nia jump and step out of the way just in time for a fully-grown tropius, staggeringly huge and shaking the ground with its steps, to barrel towards the baby. The calf cries out in clear delight, and the two tropius reunite, nuzzling against one another.

Something about the loving gesture between what Tobias can only assume is the calf and their parent makes something in his chest clench and his eyes sting. He remembers being nuzzled like that, warm wings surrounding him, the scent of sunbaked stone and a comforting voice—

Tobias draws in a shuddering breath and tears his eyes away, stuffing the memories down. Nia looks like she might cry herself.

After a few more moments, the elder tropius turns to the two of them, tears still in her eyes. “Thank you so _so_ much for finding my baby,” she says, bowing her long, graceful neck. “I’ve given the abra your rewards. May I know your names, before we leave?”

“O-Oh! I’m Nia.”

“Tobias. We’re Team Scarlet.”

The tropius smiles, still overwhelmed with emotion. “Thank you, you two. This is my son Mirri, and my name is Aari. If you ever need anything, please do let us know.”

Tobias and Nia nod and wave their goodbyes to the pair as they turn to leave, the older tropius barely squeezing her wide, leafy wings into the hall.

“They’re really beautiful, when they’re not trying to kill us,” Nia says, gaze lingering on the doorway.

Tobias snorts a quiet laugh. “Most things look better when they’re not trying to kill you.”

The charmander steps up to the desk of the abra in charge of their case, and she in turn hands him a small parcel, nodding her thanks. Nia and Tobias move into the hall, Nia already busy updating their Seeker badges and showing the screen to him when their points rise. Tobias nods, satisfied, and undoes the knot of their parcel. Inside, there’s a couple hundred poke that they’ll have to split with the guild, along with a few sleep seeds, and a medley of five or six berries. Nice haul. Tobias wraps the parcel up again and moves to head to the cafeteria for supper. Nia grabs his arm, stopping him.

“What?” He asks, a little sharply. He just wants some food and a nap, and he’s still tingling with leftover embarrassment for not coming up with Nia’s strategy himself. He wouldn’t have hurt the tropius calf, but the riolu’s plan clearly worked better than whatever he was trying to do. He should’ve thought of it first.

Nia meets his eyes, taking a deep breath and looking unusually determined. “I‘m going to Afon’s Cap tomorrow.”

Tobias blinks at her, surprised, then growls. “What? No you’re not, tomorrow’s not even our day off!”

Nia’s ears flick back, but her expression hardens. “I-I’m going, whether you come with me or not. If you come along we can get supplies or something, but I’m going either way.”

Tobias narrows his eyes, not liking the authoritative tone in her voice. Especially since things have been so tense between them lately. One good plan that wasn’t even _really_ a plan _,_ and she thinks she can boss him around? The only positive of going would be that Nia would finally stop badgering him about it.

…Huh.

This could get her off his back, at least. He would stay behind and let her go on her own, but he _knows_ the sort of scolding he’d get from Maggie for that. It would not be a fun day at the guild. Maybe he just needs to grit his teeth and get it over with so they can move on with their lives.

“Why do you get to make that decision?” He finally asks, still hoping she’ll back down.

There’s a quick flash of anger in her eyes. “I’m part of this team too, a-and I figured out how to complete our mission today. Why _shouldn’t_ I get to make a decision every once in a while?”

Tobias isn’t sure whether to be angry or impressed at the riolu’s sudden show of spine. All he knows is that he’s tired of hearing her whine about Afon’s Cap and stupid Hazel.

“Fine,” he says, still reluctant. “But I get to decide where we eat.”

Nia immediately perks up, beaming at him and clasping her paws together in a complete 180 of emotion. “Really?!”

“Yeah, whatever. Now c’mon, let’s get some food before I change my mind.”

Nia makes an excited little whoop, skipping ahead as they start their walk down the hall. Tobias groans and tells her to slow down, tucking the parcel under his arm and resigning himself to his fate.

At least he’ll get a good meal out of the trip.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia and Tobias travel to Afon’s Cap in search of the former human, Hazel.

For the first time in two weeks, Nia wakes up before Tobias does.

She’s confused when she realizes it, blinking bleary eyes at Tobias’ tail flame, his curled form fast asleep. She assumes that it must be the middle of the night, but when she rolls over and tries to go back to sleep, she finds that she can’t. She’s meeting Hazel today, after all! Excited nerves thrum under her skin like first-day-of-school jitters. How can she go back to sleep when she’s meeting another human who was turned into a Pokemon? Someone who understands exactly what she’s going through, who can tell her about how she adapted to the strangeness of the Pokemon world.

Giving up on sleep, Nia sits up. She considers reading one of the books she has checked out, but is stopped by a quiet rustling coming from the main room where Maggie sleeps. Nia frowns and pokes her head out of their little alcove, surprised to see Maggie’s out of her nest, stretching. The meganium stops as soon as she sees Nia.

“Oh! Sorry dear, I assumed you two would be gone by now.”

Nia’s heart drops as she glances at one of the small openings in the wall, noting the pale gray light of early morning. It’s past dawn? But Tobias is still asleep! Since the day Nia arrived in the Pokémon world, the charmander had woken up at the crack of dawn almost without fail. Maybe it had something to do with him being a fire type, but his internal clock seemed stubbornly tuned in to go off when the sun rose. And yet today of all days, when she’s planning to go to Afon’s Cap, he’s miraculously asleep later than usual?

Funny how that works.

An unfamiliar wave of anger rises up in the riolu’s chest, hot and choking, and she turns to glare at the still-sleeping Pokemon. He could just be exhausted, sure, but after how many times he’s made it clear he doesn’t care about finding Hazel? She doesn’t trust it. But Nia needs him to lead her to Afon’s Cap, so she kneels at Tobias’ side and roughly shakes his arm. He grumbles and bats her hand away.

“If you don’t get up, I’m leaving for Afon’s Cap without you,” she says, only half-bluffing. She still doesn’t know exactly why he’d decided to come along in the first place, but hopes that whatever reasoning he has is strong enough to get him moving. She doesn’t think she’ll be able to follow a map well enough on her own—and honestly, she just doesn’t wants to make the journey alone. Tobias is poor company, but at least he _is_ company.

Seeing no response from the charmander, Nia shakes her head, grabs their satchel, and moves into the main area to make sure everything is packed. Maggie is busy removing the leaf shades from the crystals to brighten the room, but shoots her a questioning look.

Nia doesn’t think she has the willpower to avoid snapping her explanation (which is the last thing she’d want to do to poor Maggie), so she just huffs and continues organizing their supplies. They aren’t going into a dungeon or anything, but Xander and Andyn had said to be well-stocked for long trips, just in case. So she counts their seeds and berries and apples, carefully tucks away their badges, and looks into the little sack of coins she earned from missions. It’s not a lot according to Tobias, but it’s something. She carefully folds up the map of the area loaned to her by Xander’s team (more specifically Felix, who’d offered it up with an easy smile and another wink).

Nia reaches a soft piece of cloth last: her scarlet attack scarf. For a moment, she considers finally putting it on. Then she thinks of Tobias, sleeping away the one time she really asks something of him, and she’s overcome by anger all over again. Growling under her breath, Nia stuffs it back into the bag.

“Guess I’m going on my own, Maggie,” Nia sighs, standing and slinging the pack over her shoulder. She turns around to see Maggie’s back to her, long neck ducking into the alcove.

Tobias’ voice speaks up, sleepy and muffled. “Maggie? What’re you— _hey!”_

Maggie backs up, Tobias held in one of her vines like a flailing kitten. She drops him to the ground.

“You said you would take Nia to Afon’s Cap,” Maggie reminds him, hard tone stopping Tobias’ ranting. The charmander, still blinking sleep from his eyes, frowns up at her, then looks over at Nia.

For a moment, Nia wonders if maybe he really did just oversleep, but there’s no dawning recognition on his face. He just snorts and looks away. “I know that. You didn’t have to wake me up so early for it.”

“You’re always up early! Why should today be any different?” Nia snaps.

Tobias actually jumps, head swinging around to stare at her as if she’s grown a second head. Nia immediately feels guilty for her outburst and softens her tone. “You said it was a long walk, right? We need to leave early then.”

Tobias still seems thrown off—whether from being literally picked up out of his bed or from being snapped at by Nia—because he just looks away and mumbles, “Yeah, I guess.”

“Well, I’m ready to go, so...”

Tobias shrugs. “So ‘m I.”

“Right.” Nia nods, trying to sound confident and failing miserably. Her gaze flicks to Maggie.

The meganium simply smiles, all encouragement and warmth, and nudges Tobias forward with a vine. “Go on, then. You two have a long trip ahead of you. You have snacks packed, right?”

Nia nods, smiling gratefully. She meets Tobias’ grumpy gaze before turning and marching out of the room. It feels...weird. Usually Tobias leads them on all of their missions, but he clearly wants no part of this trip, so instead Nia sets a brisk pace through the medical ward, ears picking up the dragging footsteps of the half-asleep charmander behind her. She only hesitates once on directions, and they make it down to the bottom floor without taking a wrong turn, thank God.

If only it wasn’t so uncomfortably silent between them.

Nia hesitates at the many tunnel openings, and Tobias grunts before setting off down one. Hopefully the one that leads them most quickly to Afon’s Cap. In the muted quiet of the tunnels, their footsteps seem unnaturally loud. Nia fidgets with the satchel strap, eyeing Tobias’ back.

She has long since given up on friendly conversation with him, reaching the end of her patience after days of being snubbed and snapped at every time she opened her mouth. Instead of making Tobias happier, though, her silence almost seemed to put the charmander _more_ on edge than ever. If that was even possible. Their last few missions have been filled with suffocating silence, only interrupted by the occasional tense comment.

Maybe the two of them just aren’t meant to work out as a Seeker team. He’s just so... _bitter_. And she doesn’t know how to fix that.

“You brought my money, right?” Tobias asks. Nia jumps.

“Y-Yeah.”

And back to silence. They reach the end of the tunnel and find an unfamiliar Pokémon waiting there to take them to the surface. Nia was kind of hoping it would be the hippo they’d met on her first trip into the guild.

Instead, the Pokémon that nods at them seems to be some type of...mole? He’s twice as big as her and Tobias, dark brown with red stripes and what look like sharp, drill-like bits as his claws, as well as one “drill” sitting on his head like a helmet. Nia will never get used to Pokemon biology.

“Going up?” The Pokemon rasps, voice deep. Tobias nods, and the mole gestures for them to step closer to his side. When they do, he slams his claws down into the dirt, and the slab of ground beneath them shoots up. Nia tries to keep her eyes squinted open this time, curious even as her stomach flips. It’s dark, but she thinks the earth seems to cave and mold around their group as if they were surrounded by a bubble, moving up to the surface. It’s incredible.

They emerge into chilly dawn air, and Nia immediately relaxes, taking a deep breath. Looks like they’re under the same overhang they’d met the hippo in. Tobias hops out into the forest, and Nia gives the mole a smile and a quiet word of thanks before following. Tobias doesn’t wait for her, immediately setting a course through ferns and dewy undergrowth. Nia follows, pushing aside leaves and shivering as the drops soak into her fur. Tobias’ skin is steaming ever so slightly.

The forest is relatively calm this early in the morning, but the sounds of the world slowly wake up around them. As the sun starts to climb in the sky, Pokémon around them begin their days. The riolu catches sight of a particularly beautiful butterfly Pokémon that she notes to find the name of later.

The sounds of Pokémon talking and moving about the forest becomes a comforting background noise. The blatant silence between Nia and Tobias suddenly doesn’t seem as noticeable, and the riolu finds herself relaxing as they continue their walk. Maybe today won’t be so bad after all.

_______________________________________________________

The two of them walk for hours through dense forest, occasionally crossing open fields and rocky gullies. At one point they have to cross a low stream, and Tobias cautiously jumps from rock to rock to avoid touching the water. Nia stifles a laugh and, after a moment of consideration, decides to wade through the cool water. Tobias carefully keeps his distance from her, making Nia roll her eyes. She’d read about how dangerous water could be to fire types, especially those with open flames on their bodies. Of course she wasn’t going to try and get him wet.

When she emerges on the other side, fur heavy with water, her body seems to react before her mind. She manages to check that Tobias is out of the splash zone, and then she shakes like a dog, water flying everywhere. It makes her a bit dizzy, and she blinks, surprised by her own action.

Tobias doesn’t seem to think anything of it, just visibly relaxing when his feet touch the grass again. Nia supposes she shouldn’t be too surprised—her body has its own instincts now. Her ears and tail broadcast her emotions, and she periodically finds herself smoothing the fur on her arms or legs absentmindedly. That should probably bother her more than it does.

They stop shortly after that to eat lunch. The sun is high overhead and it’s incredibly warm, so it’s probably around noon. They pick a small clearing in the woods with some boulders to settle down on, pulling out the snacks she’d packed the night before. A few berries, something baked that tastes a lot like a veggie pizza, and a mash of oats and nuts. Pretty tasty spread from the cafeteria.

“So how long until we reach Afon’s Cap?” Nia asks through a mouthful of oran berry. She’s busy spreading out the map of the area, tracing her claw from the center mark of the guild to the east, where Afon’s Cap is visible on the map. The title is written above what looks to be a large lake with a river running east, towards an ocean. She definitely wants to see that someday. She doesn’t thinks she’s ever been to the sea.

Tobias leans over and frowns at the map, finishing his mash. He points at an area just west of Afon’s Cap. “We should be here. Maybe an hour’s walk yet.”

Nia grins. “We’re so close!”

Tobias doesn’t answer, going back to his food, clearly not sharing her enthusiasm.

“So Maggie said there are shops and stuff there, right? That it’s primarily a merchant area and travelers’ crossroads?”

“Mhm.”

“What’s it like?” Nia asks. He seems too familiar with the area to have not been there before. “Pretty busy, I’m guessing?”

“You’ll see it yourself soon,” Tobias growls.

“Well...Yeah, I know, but...”

Tobias doesn’t answer, so Nia just sighs, going back to her meal and their usual silence with a heavy heart. It’d been such a nice day in the woods that she’d almost forgotten who she was traveling with.

Tobias finishes his meal first, and stretches out on the sunbaked stone to enjoy its warmth while Nia eats her berries. She’s excited to meet Hadley’s old friend, for sure, but anxiety blooms in her belly as they get closer. What should she even ask the other human-turned-Pokemon? How does she even bring up that she’s in the same boat? The riolu wishes she could talk with Tobias about it, but she knows better by now.

When Nia’s finished, they head off again without a word between them.

_______________________________________________________

It’s maybe another hour of walking when Nia registers the landscape changing around them. It’s not too drastic, but the dry, yellowed forest becomes slightly more...lush. Even a bit swampy, in spots. They _are_ closer to the sea, and they’ve passed more tiny creeks than Nia’s seen in the forest closer to the guild....so they must be getting close to the port. The nervous butterflies in her stomach act up again at the thought.

Sure enough, only a short bit later Nia can see open sky through the thinning trees, can hear something...roaring. A steady rumble of noise. And under that, the distant chatter of voices and movement. The two of them emerge from the treeline, and Nia’s breath catches at the sight of Afon’s Cap below them.

The ground at their feet drops off steeply into the valley before them, and there’s a lake so wide Nia can barely see the edges of it. It’s large enough for it to have waves, clear water rippling and flashing in the sun between a dappling coat of lush green lily pads. It trails off into the horizon, where it likely drains into the river and onward into the sea. To their left, the source of the roaring becomes clear. From the rocky cliffside of the valley walls, a giant, powerful waterfall flows from an underground channel.

But even the beauty of the waterways, framed by expansive woodland and open blue sky, is nothing compared to the life brought to the area by the little town itself. It’s clearly a port, with docking areas and small boats bobbing peacefully where they’re anchored. A scaffolding-like structure of wooden walkways, stairs and tall, stilt-like supports create a boardwalk of small, bright buildings flush against the rocky sides of the valley itself.

And there are Pokémon everywhere! Sure, the guild has a huge number of Pokémon moving throughout it every day, but something about this area is noticeably different, even from a distance. Unlike the organized groupings at the guild, centered around business and exploration, these Pokémon seem like, well...normal people. A crowd.

Merchants travel by one another, pausing to exchange goods from their giant packs, travelers and civilians alike buy and sell, and children chase each other through the walkways, laughing and playing games. Nia catches sight of two bright yellow mouse Pokémon shrieking happily as they weave through the crowd with practiced ease.

Linens hang on clotheslines to dry, small herb and flower baskets sit outside of the tiny wooden huts, shops are labeled by wooden signs detailing their wares, and the scent of heavenly baked goods reaches Nia’s nose. And is that the distant lilt of...music she hears somewhere?

“This is incredible!” Nia breathes, sure that she’s slack-jawed right now and that Tobias is judging her. She doesn’t even care.

Tobias grunts and moves to take the wooden stairs down the side of the valley wall so they can reach one of the bridges leading to the town. Nia hurries to follow him, almost slipping when she’s unable to take her eyes off the lively port. They make it to the bottom after a minute or two, stepping onto the wooden bridgework. It’s warm and sturdy under Nia’s feet.

“So are there like...Pokémon carpenters? Construction workers who build places like these?” She asks. A gorgeous white and red goldfish Pokémon is swimming under the surface of the water nearby, flickering into view between patches of huge lily pads, and it glides under their bridge to follow a blue Pokemon moving too fast for Nia to properly see. Makes sense that lots of water types would flock to this town.

“Duh,” Tobias mumbles, eyeing the water Pokémon as well with a cagey look. “How else would we build things?”

Well, true. The Lexym Guild’s tree is a bit of a different matter, but she’s seen Hadley’s hut and a few other locals homes, all built with a sturdy wooden construction. Still, Nia can’t even find it in herself to be irritated by Tobias’ condescending tone. This place is just so beautiful! It’s breezy and the air smells so nice. She watches as a water type Pokemon slips into the lake from one of the docks, swimming towards the cliffside where a shallow cave is carved into the surface before diving deeper and out of sight. For the first time, Nia notices a couple of small wooden signs jutting up from the water.

Nia gasps and darts to the edge of the bridge, tip-toeing at the railing to stare at the sign. She tries to peer between the lily pads, but can’t really see much from her perspective. “Oh my gosh, no! Are there underwater shops?! That’s so cool! Look at this!”

“I’m good back here,” Tobias grumbles. Nia glances at him over her shoulder but gets distracted by the fact that her own tail is, uh...wagging? Whoa. It slows to a stop with her confusion, but before she can think about it too deeply Tobias speaks up.

“C’mon already. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can get some food and find a place to stay.”

Nia perks up despite the charmander’s lack of enthusiasm, bouncing back over to him. As they move along the bridge, Nia trails her paw along the wooden railing, happily peering down into the waves and watching the lily pads rock like flat green boats. Something flickers in the water—or in the reflection of it? It’s just a quick flash, huge and dark and almost snake-like, but when Nia blinks it’s gone again. She peers up into the open sky, squinting when she only sees bird Pokémon flying around. Huh.

They continue to the nearest stairway leading up to the open upper level, passing a few groups of Pokémon on the way. Nia’s quick, excited steps pass by Tobias, and she takes the lead as they climb.

“So how’re you gonna find this Pokemon anyways?”

Nia hums, looking around excitedly. “I was thinking we could probably just ask around, right? If she lives here, then surely some of the other residents know her! Being a former human seems to garner a lot of attention.”

“August told you to be careful about broadcasting that you’re a human,” Tobias objects.

Nia falters. “O-Oh. Right. Well...he did say that the area around the Haven is usually pretty safe, right? And I don’t have to tell anyone that _I’m_ a human. Just that I’m looking for one named Hazel.”

Tobias grumbles, but doesn’t argue her plan anymore. “That could still take forever.”

Okay, that comment finally gets under her skin. Can’t he just let her enjoy this?

“Won’t take long if we stop talking and start looking,” She chirps, sickly sweet. The charmander huffs in response.

Then they’re on the main level of the wooden boardwalk. The crowd around them is almost daunting, with so many Pokémon laughing and talking and haggling with one another. Plus, so many of them are _huge_ compared to her and Tobias! A giant fuschia centipede Pokemon walks by them and she swears she can feel their short footsteps shaking the wood under her feet.

Nia frowns, perking her ears and looking one way and then the other. Where to even start?

“We’ll cover more ground if we split up,” Tobias points out.

“Oh.” Nia blinks at him. He’s technically right, and she knows he didn’t really want to come along in the first place, but...it’d still be nice to have a familiar face around in such a new area.

Relenting, Nia nods. “Wanna take left or right?”

Tobias glances both ways before choosing to go left, towards the distant sound of music. “I’ll start on this side. Toss me my money.”

Nia does, but then stops him as he starts to walk off. “Wait! How’re we gonna find each other later?”

Tobias shrugs. “I’m sure we’ll run into each other if we just look.”

Nia doesn’t really have a better solution, so she hesitantly nods. Tobias turns and vanishes into the crowd. Well. Looks like she’s going this alone. Something in her chest sinks, but she tells herself she should really be used to this by now.

Nia takes a deep breath, looking around. It’s hard to see anything with the crowd of Pokémon towering over her, so her best bet would probably be to just skirt the inside of the walkway curving around the valley, near the shops and houses. That’s where she needs to be asking around, anyways. Even if a very large part of her wants to go over to the nearby crowd and watch what looks like a small roadside magic show.

Nia steels her resolve and lets the lively atmosphere of the town wash over her as she weaves between Pokémon and over to the shops and houses lining the cliff face. They’re impressively built, if a bit rustic. Colorful and wooden, with impressively stable architecture. Carved signs hang from hooks in doorways, and most of the front doors sit wide open to invite visitors and customers inside. 

Nia spots a shop bursting at the seams with flowers, and peeks into the open front door to find what looks to be, unsurprisingly, a flower shop. Some are live and arranged in beautiful bouquets, some are dried and coated in a sort of plaster to preserve them, and some are pressed between books or decorating other trinkets. Nia resists the urge to run a gentle finger over the petals and wanders through the shop, wide-eyed.

“Can I help you, Riolu?”

Nia jumps, turning to find a round yellow duck Pokemon approaching her with a polite demeanor. She’s small, not too much taller than Nia herself, with a wide beak and a small tuft of hair atop her head.

“U-Um, yes. I actually had a question about this town. I’m trying to find a Pokémon named Hazel? Former human? She lives here.”

Nia is relieved when the duck Pokémon doesn’t react negatively, just humming a thoughtful noise as her gaze trails up to the ceiling. “I don’t know of any Hazels living in Afon’s Cap. And certainly none who claim to be a former human.”

The shopkeeper must see the way Nia slumps at the news, because she offers a sympathetic smile and adds, “Why don’t you ask around the other shops? Maybe it’s just slipping my mind.”

Nia nods, trying to look grateful and not massively disappointed, and thanks the duck before heading out the door. A flash of yellow slips under her feet, and Nia trips forward with a yelp.

“Oh! Sorry!” A high, childish voice says.

“You okay?” A second chimes.

Nia rolls over, surprised to see the two tiny yellow rodent Pokémon that had caught her eye earlier. They both look more curious than concerned, peering at her with wide blue eyes and twitching angular ears tipped in black. They have rosy pink circles on their cheeks, like blush marks. They’re so cute Nia thinks she might explode on the spot. They kind of remind her of the shinx kids, except younger.

The children exchange a look, and Nia hurries to sit up. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine! Sorry for tripping over you. Are you two okay?”

The kids nod enthusiastically, suddenly all smiles again.

“We were playing chase, but we forgot to stay away from the doorways.”

“Nana always tells us to stay outta Pokemons’ way so we don’t get stepped on.”

Nia nods understandingly. “Having a little too much fun, huh?”

One of them giggles, cheeks sparking. “Yeah!”

“You’re nice,” the other one notes, staring up at her. “Sometimes the grown-ups don’t want to talk to us or, or they get mad when we play near them.”

Nia smiles, feeling her chest ache with longing and fill with warmth all at once. She really likes kids. Was she close to some in her human life? “Nah, I get it. You two seem pretty cool to me.”

At that, they both grin. One of them spins, taps the other, and then takes off into the crowd. “Tag! You’re it, Theo!”

“Hey!” Theo bolts after his friend (brother, maybe?), and Nia watches them go, wincing with concern as they scamper under more gigantic, heavy Pokémon. She wishes they’d be more careful.

Shaking her head and noting her uplifted mood, Nia straightens her satchel. Right! She can’t give up after checking just one shop. This place is huge! Surely someone knows who Hazel is, right? There can’t be that many former humans floating around!

________________________________________________________

There isn’t a single Pokémon named Hazel living in Afon’s Cap. The sun is wheeling much lower in the sky than when Nia had first started searching, and she’s just about ready to give up. Sitting under a tented area for customers, she picks at the chesto pie she’d ordered from a cute little local shop, sniffling back tears.

She’d searched for hours through the small port town, wandering through the crowds, investigating shops, and even politely knocking at a few homes’ open doorways to ask about Hazel. If Nia were here just to sightsee, she’s sure she would be having the time of her life. There are stores and merchants for everything—books, food, toys, accessories and cloaks, items that supposedly help with battling, dungeon items—literally anything she could ask for! She’d thought with so many Pokemon around, surely finding _someone_ who knows Hazel couldn’t be that difficult.

And yet, nothing. She really wishes she’d thought to ask Hadley what species Hazel was, but she’d assumed it would be easy enough to ask about a former human. Maybe Tobias was right. Hadley’s nice enough, but he said himself that his memory is going nowadays. Maybe he was wrong about Hazel living here. Maybe she doesn’t even exist at all.

Speaking of Tobias—the charmander is also nowhere to be found. Nia had kept an eye out for his distinct orange coloring and bright red scarf, and hadn’t caught a single glimpse of him. She wants to think that means he’s just hard at work trying to help her, but Nia’s an optimist, not an idiot. She has a feeling that Tobias is likely avoiding her, probably just whiling away his time until they can leave again.

Nia wants to think better of him, but she can’t keep pushing away the truth. Tears finally fall from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks as she swallows back a whimper. There are still Pokémon around. She doesn’t want to have a complete meltdown here. But bottling up her sadness and her disappointment, with both Tobias and Hazel...it’s gotta come out somehow.

She wipes at her eyes and her nose, sniffing wetly and taking deep, shaky breaths. She’s a mess, but she’d had such high hopes about Hazel. She just...she just wants someone who understands what she’s going through. Who can relate to the aching, tearing pain in her chest and the gaping hole in her memory.

“Mama! That’s the nice lady we told you about!”

“Why’s she cryin’? Is she okay?”

Nia lifts her head, blinking away her tears. She knows those voices.

It’s the two yellow mouse children from earlier in the day, tugging at a larger yellow rodent’s paws. The riolu just stares at them, uncomprehending as the children drag the older Pokémon over with them. She’s very pretty, cheeks a darker shade of red and eyes a honey-brown, ears longer and slimmer, and tail in a distinct lightning bolt shape. She looks familiar, actually.

One of the kids hops up on the bench beside Nia, leaning in close and frowning up at her face. “Why’re you crying?”

“Yeah! You seemed happy earlier!” The other chirps, appearing on Nia’s other side.

“W-Well, I, uh—“ Nia stops, casting a nervous glance at the kids’ mother. She looks uncomfortable. Good first impression, Nia. “I was sort of looking for someone, but I couldn’t find them. I-It’s fine, I’ll be okay.”

The little Pokémon perk up.

“Well, we know everyone here! We can help! Who are you looking for?”

“And if we don’t know, Mama does!”

Nia looks back and forth between the two, knowing what answer she’ll get to her question but having a feeling that they won’t let her wallow alone until she satisfies their curiosity.

“I’m, uh...looking for someone named Hazel. But she must not live here anymore.”

The kids slump, ears flattening into a pitiful look.

“Oh.”

“We don’t know any Hazels.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I appreciate you asking. You did your best,” Nia soothes, offering a watery smile.

“Excuse me, but did you say Hazel?”

Nia jumps, suddenly remembering the other adult in the situation. Shoot. She turns back to the kids’ mother, but instead of discomfort, now her soft features are...intense. Focused.

The riolu blinks at the change in demeanor. “U-Um. Yes?”

The rodent stares her down, and Nia swallows, shrinking away ever-so-slightly.

“Theo, Tommy, go back to Nana Alice’s house.”

“What?” One of the kids chirps, sounding indignant. “Why? We wanna stay here!”

“Yeah!”

Their mom turns a familiar look on the two, face stern and eyebrows lifting ever so slightly, as if to ask, _Do you really want to test me?_

Immediately, the kids quiet down. “Yes, Mama,” they both mumble, hopping back to the ground. They exchange a look, give Nia a tiny wave, then scamper away.

The riolu turns back to the kids’ mom, eyes wide and stomach churning. Did she do something wrong?

“Why are you looking for a Hazel?” The Pokémon asks, voice hard.

Nia flinches, looking down at her paws. “I-I’m, um—“

“Look at me.”

Nia slowly obeys, making eye contact with the rodent and feeling incredibly small despite their similar sizes. “I...I wanted to talk to h-her.”

“About?”

“I...heard that there was a Pokémon who lived here named Hazel, who used to be a, um...” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “A human.”

The rodent continues to stare Nia down, and the riolu’s mind races as she tries to figure out why this Pokémon would have such a reaction to the name when no one else did, even before she mentioned Hazel being human.

Wait.

Nia straightens in her seat. “D-Do you know her? Please, you have to help me find her!”

The rodent’s expression edges towards something defensive. Angry? “Tell me why you want to speak to her.”

So she does know something! Nia stands, desperately clasping her hands in front of her. “Please! I need to talk with her. I’m a human too and—I mean, I was a human—and she’s the only one I know of around here who’s the same!”

Immediately, the Pokémon’s aggressive demeanor falls away, her expression smoothing out to something surprised. There’s a beat of silence, and then, almost suspiciously, she asks, “What’s your favorite movie?”

Nia blinks. “Uh...”

“Favorite movie,” the rodent prompts again.

Nia swallows hard. “I-I’m not sure? Um, I think I liked Disney movies? It’s hard to remember, so—wait, do you even know what a movie is?”

To Nia’s surprise, the rodent’s hard expression breaks as she laughs. When she’s done she meets Nia’s baffled gaze with a warm smile, the expression lighting up her already pretty features. “No, not really. But I do recognize that name. Follow me, I’ll take you to Hazel.”

The Pokémon turns and walks away, and Nia hurriedly gathers her things, stuffing them into her satchel and running to catch up to the rodent.

“W-What—how do you—who—?”

The rodent quirks a smile Nia’s way. “Sorry for the cold welcome. I’m Margot. You are?”

“N-Nia.”

“Mm. Was that your human name?”

Nia casts a quick glance around to make sure no one is listening in before answering. “N-No. Um. Actually, maybe? I-I’m not sure. I lost my memory when I came here. Woke up here?”

The rodent gives her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. That must be hard.”

Nia isn’t sure whether to laugh or be embarrassed, suddenly recalling that Margot’s first impression of her was while she was in the middle of an emotional meltdown. “Kind of, yeah. Don’t get me wrong, this world is beautiful, and most people are really nice! But it’s, um...”

“Different.”

Nia nods, eyeing Margot. She has such an easy understanding of Nia’s experience. Like she’s heard all of this before.

“So, um...how do you know Hazel? I tried asking around town but no one else seems to recognize the name.”

Margot hums a contemplative noise. “Hazel...lays low. She doesn’t like to be bothered about where she came from or have to deal with accusations that she’s lying, so the town doesn’t know she used to be human. Where did you hear about her?”

“F-From a, uh, Pokémon named Hadley. Lives near the guild. Giant bug?”

Margot sighs. “Somehow I knew that’s what you’d say. Hadley doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.”

The two of them come upon a homey-looking hut that Nia had passed earlier in the day. It’s a shop, but Nia had assumed it to be closed, since its door had been shut tight. But now it’s cracked open and warm golden light spills out to touch the dusk. Margot swings opens the door and motions for Nia to go inside. She does, stopping and looking around in awe.

It’s a...woodwork shop? There are wooden sculptures and figures littered about the room, lining shelves and tables, larger pieces sitting in corners and wherever space allows. There’s a particularly impressive sculpture in the corner that’s twice as tall as Nia herself, with a beautifully carved scene of flowing water and whiskered, crowned fish Pokémon jumping upstream. Many of the smaller pieces look to be elegant carvings and sculptures of Pokémon, too. They’re amazing. Did Margot make these?

The entire front of the shop is crowded, packed to the brim with artwork and warmth, the smell of wood and lacquer filling the air. Nia only takes a few steps inside, trailing behind Margot, before an older, feminine voice calls out from the back room. 

“Mar? Why did you send the boys back on their own?”

A moment later, a new Pokémon enters the doorway leading to the back of the hut. She’s clearly related to Margot and her sons, with yellow cheeks and ocean-blue eyes. Her fur is a rich, dark gold hue, her ears a soft fluffy yellow, paws tipped in cream. She’s beautiful, but her fur is streaked with white, her short pelt beginning to hang off her frame with age. Most incredibly, she’s levitating. She’s sat comfortably on the flat of her own wide yellow tail, floating into the room. Is this Nana Alice?

Nia stops, and the older Pokémon does as well, clearly surprised. Margot moves forward to place a gentle hand on the new Pokemon’s arm.

“Mama, this is Nia,” she explains, voice soft. “Former human. Hadley told her to look for Hazel.”

Nia isn’t sure how to read the flash of emotions that pass over the older Pokémon’s face at that news. After a moment, they settle into something solemn and soft, almost sad.

“So you’re a human? My name is Alice. Why don’t you come on back and have a cup of tea with me?”

Nia nods shyly, following the two rodents into the back area and murmuring a quiet, “Thank you.”

Nia’s mind is racing, trying to figure out how these women know Hazel, if maybe she lives nearby. But she doesn’t want to be rude, so she bites her tongue and looks around instead. There’s a tiny cooking setup on one side of the room, with a table and an area to light a fire beneath a makeshift tea kettle. Other pots and bowls sit neatly stacked nearby. On the other side of the room, a simple but startlingly human-like bedframe sits, with woven blankets and a bed of hay laid on top. 

“Mama!”

“You brought the crying lady home?”

Nia looks up, startled. Theo and Tommy are peering over the edge of a loft-like structure overhead. They wave at Nia, and she cracks a smile, waving back.

“It’s past your bedtime, boys!” Margot calls up, somewhere between amused and authoritative. She turns a wry smile towards Nia and her mother. “Let me know if you two need anything.” With that, Margot scampers up the ladder to the loft, and the boys shriek with laughter, ducking out of sight.

The older rodent Pokémon, Alice, smiles fondly, turning to the makeshift stove. “Please, have a seat, Nia. Do you like tea? I have Sitrus and Pecha leaf.”

“O-Oh. Um. I think I like tea, but I’ve never had those kinds before.”

Alice hums. “I bet you’d like Pecha. Give me a few minutes.”

Nia takes a seat on one of the cushions, peering curiously at the decorative wooden figures sitting in a group at the center of the table. One of them looks exactly like Margot, a small bundle with distinct angular ears cradled in her arms. One of the others has an impressive likeness to the older Pokemon currently making her tea. The other two Pokémon, however, are unfamiliar to Nia. One of them is a taller weasel-like Pokemon, with two tails at its back and fins on its arms. Elegant age lines are lightly carved into its face. The second is a round rabbit-like Pokemon with a ball-like tail and a bubble pattern on its belly. Another identical bundle with pointed ears is gathered in its arms. They’re all incredibly lifelike, and Nia leans in, turning this way and that to try and see them better without disturbing the arrangement.

“Do you like them?”

Nia jumps back, but Alice is smiling, gaze fond. “Y-Yes! Did Margot make them?”

The older Pokémon laughs, softly. “No, those are my carvings. The shop products are made by the both of us.”

“Wow,” Nia breathes. “They’re beautiful!”

Alice hums again, eyeing the figurines. “I created those when my grandsons were born. The floatzel is my husband. The azumarill is my daughter’s wife.”

Maybe she sees the lost look on Nia’s face, because she adds, “Oh, I apologize. Sometimes I forget what it was like to be here so suddenly. The floatzel is the weasel. The azumarill is the rabbit.”

Wait—weasel? Rabbit? No regular Pokemon would know those terms. Nia’s head snaps up, the puzzle pieces in her mind clicking together. Of course. This is why no one knew who ‘Hazel’ was. This explains Margot’s odd behavior and her knowledge of Nia’s situation, and ‘Alice’s’ reaction to her identity as a human.

Nia stares at the old woman, hardly able to breathe. “You’re Hazel.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hazel gives Nia a new lead to follow in her search for answers, as well as the courage to confront Tobias.

“You’re Hazel.”

The older Pokemon smiles, looking wistful. “I haven’t gone by the name Hazel in over a decade. Most know me as Alice nowadays.”

Well, that would explain why no one knew who Hazel was. Nia opens her mouth to say something, ask something, a thousand questions she’d rehearsed bubbling at her lips. Instead, her throat chokes up as tears flood her eyes.

She finally found her. She found Hazel. And now she’s crying again. Nia scrubs at her face, apologizing, only for soft arms to scoop her into a hug, cutting off her words.

“I know it’s scary,” Hazel murmurs, paw stroking soothingly at Nia’s back. “Everything is so new and different, and you hardly know a soul.”

Nia whimpers, squeezing Hazel back and burying her face in the older woman’s soft fur. They stay like that until the kettle starts to shriek. Hazel gently escapes Nia’s hold, moving to smother the fire and pour out two small cups of tea.

Some kind of power (psychic, maybe?) outlines the cups in gold, and then they levitate into the air, catching Nia off-guard. Hazel floats over to the table, drinks following smoothly enough not to spill, and sets one of the cups in front of Nia. The riolu sniffs and wipes away the last of her tears, accepting the tea with a quiet word of thanks and cupping it in her hands. There’s something soothing about its near-painful warmth and faint herbal scent; even watching the drink’s steam rise and curl into the air feels calming.

After a few moments of silence, Hazel speaks up in a hushed voice. “I found myself in the Pokémon world when I was about...oh, 26 years old or so. It must have been around 1980.”

Nia looks up, taken aback. “1980?”

Hazel nods, taking a sip of tea. “Yes. I’ve had the chance to speak with a few others in our situation throughout the years, and it seems time here runs on a scale similar to Earth’s.”

“Yeah,” Nia agrees, doing the mental math and feeling shock numb her ever so slightly. “You’ve been here for...for 40 years?”

“Give or take, yes.”

Hazel says something else, but Nia doesn’t answer. She’s focused on trying to control the tremor in her breathing, the shaking in her fingers, the violent pounding of her heartbeat. 40 years? Last she’d heard humans had only been appearing in the Pokemon world for about 30 years.

How long has this _really_ been happening?

“Did you—did you ever try to go back?” Nia rasps.

Hazel hesitates. “For a year or so, yes. I did try to find out...why I was here. What happened.”

“And?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t find many answers,” Hazel answers, blue eyes flashing gold as she uses the same psychic ability to stir her tea without using her paws. “There were far less cases of our situation back then, and even less Pokémon who actually believed that we were once human. We were left to do most of the searching for answers on our own, and without many resources it’s difficult to find any solid leads.”

Nia’s grip tightens around her tea. “B-But there has to have been some breakthroughs _somewhere_ after so long, right? How did you do your research? Reading? Traveling around to ask other Pokémon? What about those Pokémon who remember their past? The ones who are always former humans? Yuh—Yamask! Surely there’s something that no one has tried yet!”

Nia doesn’t register how desperate she must sound, how close she is to breaking down again, until Hazel doesn’t answer. She looks worried.

“I mean—there have to be answers, right?” Nia asks, consciously quieting her voice. “Somebody has to know how this happened to us. How to fix it.”

Hazel’s face drops into something sympathetic. “You want to go back. To your old life.”

Nia blinks, bewildered. “You _don’t?_ ”

Hazel shakes her head. “This _is_ my life now. I have a husband and a daughter. Beautiful grandkids. A successful career and a home. Every morning I sit on the docks and watch the sun rise with a cup of tea and a pastry from the neighbor’s bakery. At this point, I’m more comfortable as a raichu than I would be as a human.”

Nia can’t believe what she’s hearing. Sure, the Pokémon world is wonderful and the people are kind, but...

“Don’t you...don’t you miss your family? Your friends?”

“Of course I do,” Hazel answers, tone slipping into something sharp for the first time. “But that doesn’t change the fact that sometimes you don’t get a choice in the matter.”

Nia flinches, looking down into her tea again.

The raichu’s voice softens. “I created a new life here, instead. I found love, and friendship. Of course I’m not going to forget my old family and friends, but that didn’t mean I had to stop living my life until I found a way back to the human world. And I’m glad I thought that way. I’m happy here.”

Nia knows the words are supposed to be soothing, but instead she’s fighting off a rising wave of panic. Her stomach rolls and there’s a sinking, heavy feeling in her chest that feels like lead. She doesn’t want to start a new life here. She doesn’t remember her family and her friends, not exactly, but the longing in her heart makes her sure that she needs to get back to them. She has to find a way. There has to be a way.

After a few beats of silence, Hazel asks, “Did you lose your memory, coming here?”

Nia blinks back tears and meets Hazel’s eyes, nodding.

“But you have yet to regain it.”

Nia nods again. “I...I know I was human. I remember certain things, l-like technology and some songs, and that I used to play softball. I don’t remember my family or my friends or what happened to bring me here, b-but...” she reaches up to clutch at the fur of her chest, where it feels like she’s tearing in half.

“You know how you feel about them,” Hazel guesses.

The tears finally spill over, so Nia squeezes her eyes shut. “I _need_ to get back to them.”

Hazel is silent as Nia takes a few deep breaths.

“I wish you luck in finding answers,” Hazel finally says, words slow and careful, like she’s trying to find the perfect way to phrase this. “Just...know that they may not be the answers you would like.”

Nia’s not sure what to make of that, so she just takes another deep breath and sips at her tea. It is tasty, if a bit bitter.

“Where are you staying now? Do you have anyone to help you?” Hazel asks.

Nia finally offers a small smile. “Yeah. I’m living at the Lexym Guild, with a meganium named Maggie and my, uh...my Seekers partner, Tobias.”

Hazel tilts her head, frowning. “He didn’t come with you today? It’s quite a walk from the guild.”

“N-No, he did,” Nia answers, shifting uncomfortably as she once again feels the emptiness of Tobias’ absence. “He’s, um...out somewhere in the port.”

“This was an important mission for you, to find me. He didn’t want to be a part of it?”

Nia isn’t sure how to answer that without admitting aloud that Tobias doesn’t care about Nia’s goals at all. Instead, she simply shrugs.

Hazel hums. Then, she slides a paw across the table to gently lay over Nia’s own. “Nia, I’m going to tell you something very important, okay? Look at me.”

Nia does, swallowing hard.

“The Pokémon world is...kinder than the human world, in many ways. But you still have to be careful that Pokémon don’t take advantage of you. Of your lack of knowledge regarding this world. Your fear. Your kindness.”

“What—“

“I could be wrong,” Hazel says, cutting Nia off softly but firmly. “But this Tobias sounds like he isn’t there for you the way partners—and friends—should be.”

Nia feels her ears pin back, betraying the truth of Hazel’s words. “H-He’s had a rough life—“

“Which is unfortunate,” Hazel says, squeezing Nia’s paw. “But that doesn’t excuse his actions. Everyone needs to learn to adapt and grow. With you, he has the chance to become a better Pokémon. And if he decides not to take that opportunity, then it isn’t your job to deal with him. Your feelings are important too.”

Nia’s vision blurs with tears, and she looks down at her cup of tea as it slowly loses its warmth. “You sound like Maggie.”

“If this Maggie agrees, then I’d say you should really consider your current arrangement. It’s easy to take advantage of someone like you. You’re sweet, and you’re lost. Don’t take that.”

Nia sniffs, squeezing the raichu’s soft paw. She already knew this, but hearing it from Hazel, from someone who has been in her exact position...maybe it _is_ finally time to make a change with Tobias.

“It’s your decision, of course,” Hazel says, voice lighter again. She leans back. “Just...think about it. Why don’t you tell me about how your life has been since coming here? How long have you been in this world?”

Nia smiles, relaxing and slowly unraveling the story of the last two weeks of her life. Waking up in the Pokemon world, settling at the guild, choosing a name and meeting everyone, saving Tobias and forming a team with him, training and starting out as Seekers, meeting Hadley and hearing about his old “human” friend...

At the mention of Hadley, Hazel laughs, looking like she wants to be mad but can’t quite manage it. “I haven’t seen that silly old bug in years! Of course he’s the one to rat me out. Always had loose lips, that one. Which is remarkable for someone without actual lips.”

Nia giggles. “Sorry. I’m glad he told me, though, or else I never would have found you.”

“Did he tell you how we met?”

Nia shakes her head, leaning forward in her seat.

“Well, I’d fallen terribly ill while on the road in my early years. When I went to a doctor, they were shocked to find that I had a developed a form of the common cold.”

“One of the medics at the guild mentioned something about that,” Nia says. “They said if I got sick, it could be, uh. Serious.”

Hazel hums a thoughtful sound. “I don’t remember much about that week or so I was sick, but doctors did seem rather...cautious. About telling me whether I’d pull through or not. Looks like I brushed by death’s door a bit closer than I thought.”

Nia’s fur prickles at the casual way she mentions it. “Y-You aren’t scared that you’ll get sick like that again?”

“No, not really. I did have a few more bouts of illness throughout my life, but nothing that I couldn’t pull through. Nowadays, I’m fairly sure I’ve been through most common ailments, having had children and all. They’re germ magnets!”

Nia cracks a small smile.

“Still, that does remind me,” Hazel says, focusing back on the riolu. “The first time you start feeling ill, do go ahead and check in with one of the medical Pokémon at the guild, all right? Your symptoms might come on weak, but don’t take any chances.”

The riolu swallows hard and nods. Hazel said _when_ she got sick, not _if_. The raichu seems sure that it’ll happen eventually, and Nia would be lying if she said that didn’t send a bolt of fear into her heart. She doesn’t want to die, and especially not here, sick and without her family.

“I met Hadley when I was recovering in hospice,” Hazel continues. “He’s always been a reckless thing, and he’d chipped his shell in a fight with a golem, of all things. He lost, of course, but he didn’t want to tell me that.”

Nia tries to relax again as Hazel dives deeper into her story. Soon enough, they’re both laughing, and moving on to talking about the oddities of the Pokémon world, of how strange it was to wake up with tails and ears and superpowers. Apparently, Hazel had arrived as a pikachu, like her daughter Margot is now, and had decided to evolve later on in life. She explains that the levitation abilities of alolan raichu help a lot with larger wood carvings, when she has to work on areas much higher than she can reach on foot.

“So evolution didn’t...hurt, or anything?” Nia asks at one point. “It still sounds so weird to me.”

Hazel nods understandingly. “It is odd, no doubt. But no, it didn’t hurt. It was...a bit strange, feeling my body shift and change in the span of a few seconds. But I certainly don’t regret it. It’s quite sad, really, that evolution doesn’t seem to be working anymore. An upsetting development, to be sure.”

“H-How long has that been going on, anyways?” Nia asks. She’d been meaning to bring this question up with Maggie for days now.

Hazel stirs at her cold tea. “Oh goodness...maybe the last ten years or so? It’s fairly recent.”

“And no one knows what’s causing it?”

Hazel sighs. “Well, _we’re_ certainly getting the share of the blame. Has anyone warned you about that yet?”

Nia nods. “Y-Yeah. Everyone at the Haven is really nice, but August and Maggie said I should be more cautious about revealing that I’m human when we travel farther away. Why _are_ we getting blamed?”

Hazel shakes her head, looking bitter. “When a problem rises up that no one knows how to fix, it makes it easier on folks if they can blame someone else for it. The animosity has only gotten worse as time goes on and more things change. Being unable to evolve has changed the lives of a lot of Pokémon, and not for the better. I shudder to think about all of the poor cocoon Pokémon who got caught in their middle stage and are trapped there.”

Nia frowns. That’s such a strange thing to happen so suddenly, presumably after never happening before in the history of this world. “What did everyone say, right after it happened?”

“Oh, they were sure the world was ending. That Arceus herself was forsaking them. But then nothing else drastic happened immediately after, the days carried on, and eventually Pokémon grudgingly adapted.”

“Are any Pokémon still looking into it?” Nia asks, feeling her curiosity rise and her itch to research resurface.

“Oh yes, the last I heard it was still a hot topic, particularly in the bigger cities. Around here, Pokémon are content to make due.”

Nia thinks about the evolution that she would have available if she could evolve. A...lucario, she thinks it was? Similar to her current form, but bigger. Taller. She remembers reading that Tobias would eventually become a much larger creature, though, a dragon with wings and everything. It’s difficult to imagine the little charmander going through such a huge growth spurt.

After a moment of thoughtful quiet between them, Hazel lightens the mood by launching into another story from when she’d first arrived in the Pokémon world. Apparently when she’d first woken up, she’d screamed and accidentally electrocuted a kind but terrifying-looking Pokémon who was just trying to help her out. Nia listens and strokes the rim of her cup, smiling warmly at the old raichu. She has such an obvious grandmotherly air about her—even more so than Maggie.

At the end of her story, Hazel suddenly sits up. “You know, that reminds me of something I saw last week. There’s a Pokémon who’s trying to gather former humans for a meeting sometime soon. Some sort of club, I suppose?”

Nia’s ears perk up. “Really?”

Hazel nods. “I’m comfortable as a Pokémon now, so I dismissed it. It seemed like a load of hullabaloo to me! But maybe you would want to look into it? They would likely know more than I would about how the research on this phenomenon is going.”

“Y-Yeah, absolutely! Do you know where I could find out more about it?”

“I believe there was a flyer up in the bazaar near the waterfall, on one of the bulletin boards.”

Nia jots that down in her mind, beaming. “Thank you so much, Hazel! Oh man, I’ll check that out as soon as I leave.”

Hazel chuckles again. “Why don’t you go on ahead? If you don’t have anything else to ask me, that is. You look ready to jump out of your seat.”

Nia laughs, embarrassed. “Sorry. I’m excited.”

Hazel shifts, sitting heavily onto her tail before rising into a float. She collects the two cups from the table and sets them down in the kitchen area. “It’s fine. Come along then.”

Nia moves to follow the raichu out into the shop. She casts a quick glance up at the loft, but it’s quiet. Margot and her boys must already be asleep. When the two of them reach the front door, the raichu turns to her with a smile.

“You take care, all right? Smack some sense into that partner of yours or tell him to hit the road.”

Nia laughs, nodding. “I’ll do my best.”

Hazel leans in, taking Nia’s hands in her own and dropping her voice to a whisper. “And if things don’t turn out how you want, just remember that there’s always a silver lining. You’ll reach happiness, one way or another.”

Nia’s breath catches. Fear and denial roll in her gut (she _will_ find a way home, _she will_ ), but she knows the raichu only means well. So she offers a shaky smile. “R-Right.”

“Thank you for the talk. Come back and visit this old girl if you’re ever in the area. It’s nice to have another human around.”

Nia nods. She is right about that. “Absolutely. Thank you so much for talking with me.”

“Of course.” And with that, Hazel pulls her into another hug. Nia hugs her back, squeezing hard and breathing in the scent of her short fur. She’s only known her for a couple of hours, but she already knows she’s going to miss her.

“C-Can I write you sometime?”

“Please do,” Hazel says, pulling back and patting the riolu’s cheek. “I would love that.”

“I’ll send you a letter as soon as I figure out how the mailing system works.”

Hazel laughs, playfully pushing Nia out the front door and into warm night air. “Go on, get out of here! And good luck. Remember what I said.”

Nia nods and gives the raichu one more wave before turning to join the Pokémon still milling about on the boardwalk. She’d passed the bazaar earlier in the day, when she was searching for Hazel. It’s...to the right? She thinks. She supposes she could just follow the sound of the waterfall, too.

As Nia makes her way through the port town, faintly lit by the fat moon overhead and the light spilling out from homes and shops, she keeps an eye out for Tobias’ tail flame. As much as Nia hates conflict, Hazel is right. She needs to have a talk with the charmander about their partnership. She can’t keep sacrificing her emotions and her own goals just because Tobias insists on keeping up such a bitter attitude and shoving her away at every opportunity.

Nia finally finds the giant bulletin boards in the bazaar, sitting in front of shops and between closed market booths. Wait. Dang it, she can’t read anything at this time of night! Great. If only a certain fire type were here. A small growl of frustration slips from her throat. She doesn’t have anything that can make light, right?

Oh! Wait, maybe..? Nia hesitates, glancing around. Would she even be able to do it here, already so worked up and exhausted from the day? She supposes she doesn’t have much of a choice but to try. She closes her eyes, feeling the tear-drop appendages framing her face rise as she searches for that fire at the core of her being. Her aura. After a moment she finds it, burning strong and bright. She stokes it with thoughts of her family, of Maggie, of Xander and Andyn, of Hazel...and she feels it grow. Satisfied, she directs it towards her hand with a little nudge, focuses it in her palm, imagines the light cradled there...

Nia cracks open her eyes, grinning with delight to see the cyan of her aura condensed into a tiny flame. It casts a faint blue glow over her and the flyers, and she hurriedly starts skimming the papers for anything about humans. She scans the board once, twice, feeding more energy into her palm and feeling it start to strain her as the seconds tick by.

“C’mon, c’mon,” she mumbles, picking up the pace as she frantically scans flyer after flyer. She eventually abandons the board and runs to the second one nearby. Hazel said it was only like a week ago, right? It has to still be here. What if it’s buried beneath other papers? What if—

Nia’s gaze snaps back to a particular flyer as she catches sight of the word ‘human.’ There are a few of the flyers nailed to the wood, so Nia snatches one, dimming her aura and skimming through it.

_The Will of the Humans Movement_

_Are you a human who suddenly ended up in the Pokémon world? Looking for answers, a network of others that understand you, a place to talk about your past and the human world? Come join us in one of the largest cities in the land! We’ll be having a conference in the city of Ghatha on the first day of the fall season. Food will be provided, as well as resources for finding your way in the Pokémon world until you can be returned to your human life._

Nia takes a deep, shuddering breath, killing off her aura and laughing to herself. She’s incredibly relieved that this sort of idea even exists, that this group sounds so confident about being able to return her to the human world, but she can’t help laughing at the very human-like advertising method. It almost sounds like a college club flyer, or a support group. These guys are the real deal, all right. And it says the first week of fall? If she recalls correctly, it’s nearing the end of summer right now, so that can’t be very far away at all!

Nia folds up the flyer and carefully tucks it away into her satchel. Then she sets off again, wondering how she’ll find Tobias. It’s a warm night, but he probably would have gone inside by now, right? Nia knows she passed one or two larger buildings that advertised themselves as inns. Or maybe he’s still at one of the restaurants? He did seem really excited to eat here.

Just in case, Nia peeks into the restaurants she passes on her way towards the inns, scanning the small crowds inside and feeling her belly start to rumble at all of the delicious scents. Finally, she pokes her head into a restaurant with savory, smoky scents pouring from the kitchen area. In the dim lighting, a familiar tail light and red scarf catch her eye. Tobias!

The charmander looks relaxed, slouched into a seat, empty plate in front of him as he picks at his teeth. Nia hurries over to him, taking the seat across from him and making him jump.

“Sorry,” Nia says, smiling. “Good meal?”

Tobias sits up. “Yeah, definitely. Worth the trip for this alone.”

A silence falls between them, and Nia feels her happy expression slowly drop. She doesn’t know why she expected it from Tobias, but...he didn’t even ask if she’d succeeded in her search for Hazel. Didn’t even mention how his supposed “search” went.

“So I was thinking of just using the inn two doors down for the night, and then heading back a bit after dawn tomorrow.”

Nia nods. “Uh, sure. But, um. Can we talk first?”

Tobias stops cleaning his teeth, giving Nia a suspicious look. “What about?”

“It’s...kind of important. To me. Please?”

Tobias heaves an annoyed sigh, but this time Nia doesn’t wince away. In fact, she feels her anger and frustration only grow stronger.

“Fine,” he says. “Shoot.”

Nia glances at the owners of the restaurant, adorable blue and white otter Pokémon with seashells on their chests, chatting amicably at the entrance to the kitchen. A purple bulldog Pokemon with huge fangs sips quietly at a bowl of soup nearby. The atmosphere is peaceful. She doesn’t want to shatter that with a potential argument.

“Not here,” Nia says, meeting Tobias’ annoyed gaze. “How about down on the docks?”

“Seriously? Why?”

Nia bites back an exasperated sigh. “Just trust me on this. Please?”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Tobias grunts a quiet, “Fine. Let’s go, I already paid.”

Nia nods, and the two head out. Tobias falls back to let her take the lead, and she guides them to one of the staircases, down to an open dock over the water. As they walk, Nia feels herself grow more and more nervous. Her stomach feels tight and nauseous. Maybe this can wait? Maybe she should keep the peace this far from home. She could always just talk to him about this tomorrow.

Hazel’s serious expression flashes through her mind. No. The raichu was right. She needs to put this out there right now, before she loses her nerve. The two of them reach the end of the dock, and Tobias crosses his arms, shuffling away from the edge.

Nia swallows, mouth opening and closing as she tries to figure out how to begin. “W-Well, I wanted to talk about, uh, our team.”

That at least seems to pique the charmander’s interest.

“I-It’s just...I was wondering if you could m-maybe try being, uh...a little nicer?” That’s it, Nia. Nice and stern. God, she’s such a pushover.

Tobias blinks, snorting. “What? Is that seriously why you dragged me out here?”

Nia cringes. “I mean, yeah! I...I-It’s just that you don’t ever want to talk, and you don’t seem to really care about w-what _I_ want, and we’re partners and all, so—“

“We’ve been through this before,” Tobias interrupts. “I’m not nice. And we’re partners, not friends.”

“I know that!” Nia says, voice sharp. Tobias straightens up, anger flashing across his features. “I know that, but there’s a difference between being partners and being whatever we are! We should care about each other, have each other’s’ backs! Actually _talk_ to each other! But every time I try to start a civil conversation you just say something cruel or don’t even answer me!”

“Look, you aren’t special,” Tobias growls, stepping closer with a snarl curling at his lip. “I treat you like I treat everybody else—better even, and—“

“And that’s what I mean!” Nia says, voice edging on a shout. “You treat everyone like dirt! Even Maggie half the time, and she’s been nothing but kind to you your whole life!”

Tobias actually winces at that, but the shame on his face only seems to fuel his anger. Even his tail flame flickers brighter. “Look, I signed up to be Seeker partners with you, nothing more. It doesn’t say anything in the contract about me being _nice_. You knew how I was before you asked me to form a team with you.”

Nia feels angry tears prick at her eyes, and she throws her arms out in a bewildered sort of gesture. “Okay, fine, I did! Maybe I thought that somehow I could change you, be your friend and help you open up. I know you can be kind, Tobias, I’ve seen it with Maggie and the kids—you can be nice, you just choose not to!”

Tobias huffs, smoke pluming from between his teeth. “That sounds like a mistake on _your_ part.”

“Maybe it was,” Nia admits. “But I don’t think it’s wrong to expect that my partner would have the basic decency to care about me and my goals a little instead of only focusing on himself.”

Tobias opens his mouth to respond, but Nia beats him to it.

“I know you didn’t go looking for Hazel like you said you would. You didn’t even ask about my search or if I found her when I finally tracked you down! You didn’t do a single thing to support me even though you knew how important this was to me!”

“I’ve been nothing but kind to you,” Nia goes on, ignoring the way her voice breaks as she steps forward, feeling a thrill of satisfaction when Tobias steps back. “I’ve kept your secrets, lied to protect you, tried to befriend you so you’d have someone to talk to...I’ve tried _so_ hard to be a good person and bring out the best in you.”

“I didn’t ask for that,” Tobias protests weakly.

“You shouldn’t have to! We’re partners! We should be on each other’s team, not two separate ones. And I shouldn’t have to ask you for the simple courtesy of respecting me and not being a—a total jerk!”

“I protect you in dungeons!” Tobias snaps back. “I share the money we get! What more do you want?! Where is all of this even coming from?”

Nia makes a frustrated noise. “Tobias, we’ve only been partners for two weeks and already I’ve reached the end of my patience! This isn’t a sudden thing! How did you _not_ see this coming?”

“How am I supposed to know if something’s wrong if you don’t _tell_ me?”

“Maybe by paying a little attention! All I’m asking is that you try to care a little bit!”

“And if I refuse?”

Nia tries to take a cue from Margot, straightening up and changing her expression into something harsh and unmovable. “Then I’m leaving the team.”

Finally, Tobias’ mask of anger melts away, leaving only horrified shock behind. “W-What? You can’t—you need to gather information, and—”

Nia crosses her arms. “We both know you’re the only one who would be struggling to find a new team, Tobias. I’d be fine.”

The charmander’s expression closes off, cold and distant. “...And to get you to stay?”

Nia doesn’t answer for a few moments, thinking and enjoying the way her piercing gaze seems to make Tobias squirm with unease. “I would need you to try to be kind. To be an actual partner. Care about me and what I want, the way that I’ve been doing for you. Actually _talk_ to me. Trust me.”

“ _Trust_ you? You’re blackmailing me.”

Nia fights back a new surge of anger, sighing. “Tobias, this isn’t blackmail. This is a second chance.”

The charmander doesn’t answer that, and the two of them stand locked in a tense silence.

“So that’s all? I just need to be nice to you?”

“I need you to try to be _kind_ ,” Nia corrects. “There’s a big difference. Sucking up to me or faking a personality isn’t going to cut it. You don’t need to be sweet and bring me breakfast in bed. I’m just asking that you stop treating me like the enemy. Like someone whose wants are lesser than yours.”

Tobias is silent, flexing his claws as he stares out at the water with fury in his gaze. Eventually, he says, “Did Hazel put you up to this?”

Nia barks a short, humorless laugh. “You’d know if she had if you’d actually gone with me, wouldn’t you? I’ve been feeling like this for a while, Tobias. Maybe if you paid attention to someone but yourself you would have noticed.”

Tobias growls at that, a few embers fluttering from his breath, bright in the darkness.

“You don’t need to decide now,” Nia says, feeling her anger start to drain in favor of exhaustion. “I want you to be serious about your answer, either way. This is a dealbreaker for me.”

Tobias glares at her for a moment more. Then he snarls something under his breath and storms past her, back towards the staircase to the shops and inn. Nia watches him go, and doesn’t relax until the charmander’s bobbing tail flame disappears completely in the darkness. Then she sinks to the ground, cradling her head in her hands. That was...more intense than she’d been expecting. But she also got her point across. She thinks.

She sits there for a while longer as the moon climbs high into the sky. Eventually, she rises to her feet, taking shaky steps back towards the buildings of Afon’s Cap. She’s definitely not going to go sleep in the same inn as Tobias after that. She considers returning to Hazel’s to ask to stay the night, but she really doesn’t want to bother the little family when they’re likely all asleep by now.

Instead, Nia picks a different inn than the one Tobias had suggested earlier. What tomorrow brings for her and her team she doesn’t know, but when she flops down into a pre-made nest, she feels...light. Relieved to finally have that off her chest, to finally have a resolution between her and Tobias one way or another.

Nia is done being the charmander’s doormat.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobias considers Nia’s ultimatum, and a deal is struck.
> 
> TW: Panic Attack
> 
> Quick heads-up that there is a brief moment edging on a panic attack in tonight’s chapter! If you’re worried about it then let me know and I can give you the start/end points as well as a summary of what happens between!

The mountain air is cool and thin, but the rock underfoot is hot, pleasant against his skin. Tobias tilts his face up to the sun, soaking in the heat of the day.

A familiar voice calls from nearby, tone a playful sing-song. “Toby!”

Tobias smiles, his eyes still closed. “You’re supposed to be quiet when you’re hiding, you dork!”

A giggle, the quiet clack of stone. Tobias huffs a laugh and opens his eyes again, taking a moment to admire the endless blue sky, not a cloud in sight. Then he follows the shout to his right, where some huge boulders have long since settled against the cliffside. 

“Too easy,” Tobias teases, ducking into the cleft between the rocks, expecting to spot the glow of a little flame in the shadows.

Huh. He could have sworn she was over here.

“Toby! C’mon!”

Tobias backs out of the boulders, turning around in confusion. How did she get behind him so fast?

He scans the small, flat area they’re playing on, but there are only small patches of brush this high up the mountain, everything else a stone landscape of neutral browns and grays that she would stand out against like a sore thumb.

“Toby!”

Somehow, she sounds a little farther away. Did she leave the safety of the trail? Skin prickling, Tobias hurries over to where the path drops off steeply down the cliffside. He peeks over the edge, expecting to see teary green eyes peering up at him from far below. But no, she’s not there, either. He’s not sure whether to be relieved or even more worried.

“Toby?”

This time her voice sounds nervous, like when she’s scared but doesn’t want to admit it. Tobias spins to try and locate where it’s coming from, heart pounding.

“Where are you?” He calls.

“Toby!”

Down the trail! He rushes after her, worst case scenarios flashing through his mind. Did she climb up somewhere and get herself stuck? Did a cliff collapse and sweep her down the mountainside? Is she hurt?

Tobias trips over a dip in the path, and when he slams into the ground it’s no longer dirt and rock beneath him, but smooth wood. He blinks at it, recognizing the distinct pattern of bark.

He’s at the guild.

“Toby!” Her cry comes from somewhere even farther away, her voice high and shrill.

Tobias tries to scramble to his feet, only for something heavy to land on his shoulders and slam him back down. The air gets knocked from his chest.

When he looks up he’s surrounded, Pokemon from the guild staring down at him with blank expressions. He spots the pansage he accidentally burned when he was eleven, the venipede he admired until he overheard her calling him names, the spinarak who kept tripping Tobias with their webs until Tobias scared them off with an ember attack. The group parts, and Xander steps forward.

“You failed her,” the luxio says, voice calm. Like he’s not even surprised.

Another wail of Tobias’ name from beyond the mob. Tobias’ stomach rolls.

“Let me go! I can still help her!” He shrieks, struggling uselessly against the weight pinning him down, scoring claw marks in the wooden floor.

“You already tried. You weren’t good enough.”

“I know! _I_ _know!_ Please, just let me try again! I have to save her!”

Xander’s expression remains unmoved. The other Pokémon continue to stare him down, faces unnervingly still, and somehow that’s more terrifying than if they were attacking him.

A shrill wail from somewhere out of sight. He has never heard her sound so terrified.

Tobias snarls. He gasps in a breath, holds, and releases a powerful wave of fire. It’s stronger than any attack he’s done before, fueled by desperation. And then he’s alone, and the guild is in flames around him, smoldering and crackling as it slowly burns down. But none of that matters, because he can move again.

“Toby!”

Tobias stumbles to his feet, staggering towards the voice. “I’m coming! Hang on!” 

He sprints down the hallway, panting hard as he runs and trips and runs again. The hallway seems endless, somehow dark and closing in tighter and tighter despite the flames chewing at the walls.

Then he sees her, curled up away from him at a dead-end. Her tail flame is small as a spark, her tiny body wracked with shivers. Her skin, just a shade darker than his, is bruised and scraped. Tobias’ heart jumps in his chest as he rushes to her side, grabbing her shoulders—

And then he’s holding Nia’s shoulders instead, blinking at the riolu suddenly standing in front of him, cloaked in the dark of night. They’re at the docks, and her eyes are shining with tears in the light of his tail, her fists balled up at her sides.

“This is a second chance,” She whispers.

Before he has a chance to respond, the riolu lunges forward and shoves him in the chest, hard. He stumbles back into empty air, his stomach dropping as he falls into the darkness of Afon’s waters, frigid cold and too thick to swim through, too thick to even move his arms.

Then he realizes he can breathe. And he can hear rain. Thunder booming overhead. The howl of the wind.

Tobias cracks open his eyes, squinting at the dark sky as rain pelts the earth in icy, stinging drops. It hurts. Mud sucks at his limbs as he sits up, shuddering. He’s so tired. So heavy and cold. He needs to get home.

He staggers to his feet, swinging his tail around to try and shelter the tiny flame at its tip with his body.

“Toby!”

Tobias freezes, breath catching.

She can’t be out here in this. Why is she out here?

Tobias stumbles forward through quickly rising puddles and thick mud, his exhausted, numb limbs forgotten as he searches for the glow of her tail flame. Where is she? Where are their parents? He can’t find her on his own!

Tobias stops to yell her name, and then the names of his parents, too. He turns around and around but can’t seem to recognize the mountainous environment through the sheets of rain and darkness.

He’s lost. He’s lost, he lost _her_ , and now he’s stranded in the dark. His tail flame is petering dangerously low, and the panic in his chest overtakes him completely. He’s breathing hard, lungs heaving and only inhaling rainwater. Was he running? From what? Why is he crying?

He can’t breathe.

Tobias trips and falls into the mud, shaking arms barely able to hold him up. After a moment he gives in, balling up against the rain. He tucks his tail flame under his body as he shakes. 

He’s going to die. He doesn’t want to die.

He can’t be the reason she dies.

“Vivi,” he whimpers, curling tighter against the rain. “I’m sorry.”

And all at once, it stops. The rain, the wind, the cold, the pain. Tobias distantly registers that he’s panting loud in the empty quiet of the room, voice on the edge of a sob. He’s warm, and lying in something soft. He takes a moment to catch his breath and blink away the blur of sleep. Wait, no. Tears. Both. He frowns and pushes himself up from his nest, wiping at his eyes and looking around as he wakes up.

Oh. Right. He’s at the inn in Afon’s Cap. Faint dawn light is filtering in through the window, cold and gray but without a hint of the rain from his dream.

Tobias glances over his shoulder to look for Nia, already crafting a snarled excuse to deter her from asking about him crying out in his sleep. He’d managed to avoid that happening since she’s been here. But the nest beside his is empty, and the events of last night come back to him—

_Nia, eyes wet but lip curled into the start of a snarl, soft voice raised to a furious shout, the steel in her words—_

Tobias’ heart sinks, hot anger curling his hands into fists around a handful of hay. That’s right. He hadn’t gotten to sleep for hours last night after that, worked up as he was.

Why is it so important to her that he treats her like a friend? He doesn’t want friends. He just wants to get stronger and make sure that the outlawed trio gets taken down, one way or another. That’s his only goal, and unfortunately he needs a partner to accomplish it.

He knows being part of a Seeker team is the best way to get the experience, training and knowledge he needs. He knows that, and he grudgingly admits that Nia is right about her being the only one with a choice in teammates. No one wants to be his partner. Nia’s the only one who has even given him a shot.

_It’s not blackmail. It’s a second chance._

Ha. Right.

Tobias gets up and stretches. He smooths his red scarf, making sure it’s tied tight before grabbing his money bag and making his way downstairs, out of the tiny inn. He’d paid last night, so he just gives the poliwhirl at the counter a nod before making his way outside.

The morning is clear, the waters of the docks calm and foggy as the sun rises. He shivers in the cool air and looks around, only to stop when he recognizes a familiar silhouette perched at the edge of the boardwalk, legs swung over the edge. Nia. Tobias isn’t sure whether to be surprised that she woke up so early or angry because of last night, so he just walks up to stand beside her.

“Ready to go?” He asks, feeling awkward.

Nia looks up at him with unreadable ruby eyes. “...Yeah, sure.”

And that’s all that’s exchanged between them as Nia rises to her feet, adjusting their satchel before following Tobias to the stairway nearby. He leads them cautiously through the foggy morning, especially once they step onto the bridge leading back to the forest. He hates being so close to so much water.

It isn’t until they’ve scaled the rocky cliffside stairs and stepped into the lush forest that Nia speaks up again.

“Did you decide, or do you need more time?”

Tobias huffs a breath out his nose. He’s not an idiot—he knows this is the only option he really has, teaming up with the riolu. And if he has to grit his teeth and put on the baby gloves to avoid hurting her feelings? So be it. But he wants to beat the crap out of a training dummy to clear his head before answering, so he just says, “I’ll let you know sometime today.”

He’s grateful that she doesn’t push, going back to her routine from the day before of looking around at the plant life and the other Pokémon they pass. A pair of goomy slither by, likely on their way to the port, and Nia waves at them with a tiny smile. The goomy smile back and wave their antennae.

They continue on through the forest, Tobias wracking his brain for any loopholes he can think of to get Nia to drop her sudden team requirements. Before last night, Tobias might have thought he could just intimidate her into caving, but after seeing her not only stand against him but back him into a literal corner...

She’s gutsier than he thought.

Tobias should know that by now. He learned that firsthand when he snuck into a mystery dungeon and Nia followed him to make sure he didn’t die on the way, even stepping between him and a pack of feral Pokémon.

Tobias sneaks a glance back at the riolu, hardly able to reconcile the bloodied, bristling Pokemon from that dungeon with, well...Nia. Wide-eyed with wonder, the faintest hint of a smile on her muzzle as she lights up at the sight of a caterpie climbing a nearby tree. 

Tobias thought her never-ending awe was annoying at first, but he’s gotten more or less used to it by now. Occasionally his gaze even follows hers, curious despite himself to see what mundane thing has caught her attention. It’s...tolerable now. Nia’s tolerable now. He hates being forced to talk and act “nice,” but maybe he could get used to that song and dance too if he absolutely has to.

It takes the two of them hours of traveling to get back to the guild, weaving through undergrowth and gigantic trees. They take a tunnel entrance into the underground, and when they walk through the blue-lit crystal passage, Tobias recalls the talk they’d had after facing down their first unofficial “mission” together. The earnest, hopeful look on the riolu’s face as she offered her paw and the chance to form a Seeker team. She’d claimed that they made a good team, and they…they really had. He’d forgotten about that already. About how well they’d worked together when they weren’t arguing and were just focused on staying alive.

When the two of them reach the mission boards, Nia turns to him with a questioning look. He hesitates, still unsure. “I…I think I’m gonna go train. I’ll let you know what I’ve decided by tonight.”

The riolu seems satisfied by that, and nods. She opens her mouth, as if to ask him something, but then seems to think better of it before parting with a quiet, “I’ll talk to you later, then.”

Tobias watches her go, noting that he should probably go see Maggie and let her know that they’re back, that he’s fine. But the training area is always quiet this time of day, and Nia will likely stop by their quarters anyway, so the charmander rolls his shoulders and heads for the training floor. When he arrives, it’s nearly empty. Most Pokémon are out on missions today, since the trainers have the day off.

A familiar form catches Tobias’ eye. August? It looks like the rillaboom is practicing a graceful string of battle movements, his leafy mane trailing behind him. Tobias has only seen the guildmaster on the training floor a handful of times in his whole life, so he stops to watch, surprised.

August is light on his feet, despite his large size. Tobias would have expected someone with so much power to be practicing his hard-hitting grass moves or his drumwork. Instead, August’s movements almost look like Val’s, fluid and dance-like. Tobias doesn’t even realize he’s been staring until August finishes a sequence and turns to him with a warm, toothy smile.

“Tobias! Good morning.”

The charmander jolts out of his thoughts, offering a respectful nod. “Hey, August.”

The rillaboom walks over to him, plopping down cross-legged on the ground. “See anything I need to correct in my form?”

Tobias blinks. Surely he’s joking. He has no idea how to judge any of those movements. He’s still trying to figure out the basics himself. “Uh. It looked...good? To me.”

August laughs, patting the ground in front of him. “Why don’t you sit? You have time for a chat?”

Tobias would really rather not, itching to claw at a training dummy as he is, but if there’s anyone he’s not going to snark off to _too_ often, it’s the guildmaster. So he takes a seat, curling his tail around himself.

“I spoke with Maggie yesterday. She tells me you and Nia went to Afon’s Cap—a lovely place. How was it?”

“It was, uh, fine.”

“And did Nia find who she was looking for?”

Tobias opens his mouth to respond, only to realize that he doesn’t actually know the answer.

Augustus must see his panic, because he brings a thoughtful hand up to his chin. “You went with her, right?”

Tobias’ gaze slides down to his hands, sitting folded in his lap. The rillaboom’s tone isn’t judgmental, simply curious, but somehow that makes Tobias feel even worse for not having an answer. “...Yeah.”

There’s a moment of quiet, and then Augustus hums, “You are having teamwork issues, I presume.”

It’s not a question, and Tobias’ head snaps up to give Augustus an indignant glare. Who told him? Maggie?

“Oh, don’t give me that look. It’s quite obvious from your answer alone. Why are you two not getting along?”

Tobias snorts. Augustus has known him since he came to the guild as a kid. It’s obvious to anyone who knows him. “You really have to ask?”

The rillaboom gives him a look in return, somewhere between amused and exasperated. “As your doting guildmaster, yes. Yes I do.”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “Fine. You know the drill—I don’t get along with others, and they don’t get along with me. Same old, same old.”

“It seemed Nia had been willing to give you a chance, though. That’s far from the same old.”

Tobias bites back a sharp retort, frowning at the floor.

“She gave you a chance. Shouldn’t you do the same for her?”

Tobias lifts his chin to meet Augustus’ eyes. “And who says I haven’t?”

Augustus stares back at him, unwavering. Eventually, Tobias breaks eye contact first. The rillaboom sighs. “Tobias, be honest. With me and with yourself. Why are you two not getting along? Have you talked about it?”

Tobias avoids the rillaboom’s searching gaze, picking at the claws on his foot. “She wants us to be friends.”

There’s a surprised moment of silence. “That’s not the usual reason I hear for team disagreements.”

“But I don’t want that!” Tobias snaps. “I just. We’re on the same team, yeah, whatever. But just so we can reach our goals. It doesn’t mean we have to be friends!”

Augustus takes a moment to respond. “Tobias...you don’t have to be friends, but you do have to be _partners_. You are a team.”

“We _are_ partners,” Tobias says. “We go on the same missions, we train together, we even _live_ together!”

“And yet, do you know her weaknesses?”

Tobias frowns. “Well, yeah. Psychic types, flying—“

“No,” Augustus interrupts. “Not a _riolu’s_ type disadvantages. _Nia’s_ weak points. Is she scared of certain Pokémon? Off in her aim? Doubtful of her fighting capabilities?”

Tobias hesitates. He doesn’t know that sort of stuff, but...

“Being a Seekers team requires much more than simple type knowledge and the ability to brute-force your way through a dungeon. Say you come across a sharpedo and need to rely on Nia’s fighting capabilities. What would you do if she was frozen in fear by that specific species? Is she holding back on certain powers or moves because she doubts herself and is too ashamed to ask you for help? There are more elements to battle—and to a Seeker’s duties—than the basic textbook knowledge, Tobias.”

The charmander’s brow furrows, recognizing the truth in that statement. “But how are you supposed to know those things?”

Augustus snorts, a warm, almost teasing smile on his face. “You talk to her. Get to know her.”

Tobias slumps, giving the bigger Pokémon a disdainful look. “You’re all about the power of friendship, huh?”

Augustus chuckles. “There is a reason the best Seeker teams consist of Pokemon who have known each other for years, Tobias. Experience, yes, but also becoming true _partners_. Talking, sharing, growing close, trusting one another. Most teams are made up of best friends. Families. Lovers. Pokémon who have the utmost faith in one another.”

Tobias frowns, shoving away the part of himself that immediately rolls its eyes at the mushy words. He hates that the words sound so reminiscent of what Nia said last night.

Trust, huh?

Surely...surely it isn’t _really_ that important. What’s important is how strong they are, that they strategize and are well-prepared. That they can fight. Isn’t it?

But then he thinks of Nia, calming that tropius calf with a gentle touch and the most ridiculous of tactics. _She_ came up with that plan. The better plan. Not him. She was right, he was wrong, and if he’d stuck around to listen to her instead of darting off on his own, he could’ve been a part of it.

“So tell me, Tobias,” Augustus says, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward to meet the charmander’s eyes. “What is so wrong with giving Nia a _real_ chance? With talking to her? Sharing yourself with her?”

Tobias shrinks away from August’s intense stare. He swallows hard and opens his mouth, and eventually words croak out. “I...I haven’t talked to anyone like...like a friend in years.”

“To grow, one must push past what they are comfortable with,” Augustus rumbles, not unkindly. There’s a knowing look in his eyes.

“I don’t know how to do it anymore,” Tobias rasps. “How to...talk to other Pokemon. Talk about myself.” Be kind. Trust others.

“You do,” Augustus insists, smiling without a hint of hesitation. “There’s a reason I approved your team papers, Tobias. If you need help, just ask for it. Nia is on your side, whether you want to accept that or not. And Maggie would move mountains for you.”

Tobias looks down again, gripping hard at his legs. A prick of shame sits in his chest, sharp and nagging. Maggie...Maggie would say the same thing. Maggie _has_ been saying the same thing.

“It’s important to care about others, Tobias. Especially as a Seeker. Your wants and dreams are important, but so are everyone else’s. Remember that. Try to see things from others’ perspectives.”

The charmander nods but doesn’t respond, too lost in thought. He hardly registers Augustus placing a giant hand on his head in an encouraging gesture before going back to his training. Idly, Tobias watches the rillaboom start up his graceful stream of movements.

Tobias doesn’t know if he has ever felt this conflicted. He doesn’t want to pour his heart out to Nia and share secrets with her like a couple of cubs, but between Nia’s ultimatum and his own guildmaster’s words...well, it’s not like he has much of a choice anyways, if he wants to stay a Seeker. He just has to act nice and appease the riolu, right? He can do that. Probably. 

Tobias considers leaving right away to find Nia, but she’ll probably either be eating or visiting Andyn and Xander’s teams. So instead, he decides to work off his pent-up frustration from last night’s argument, moving to one of the unused dummies with fire building in his throat. He’s going to scorch the poor thing to bits. Archer is gonna be _so_ mad.

__________________________________________________

It’s nearly sunset when Tobias trudges his way up to the medical floor. He’s exhausted again, but feeling much less tense. He’d stopped by the cafeteria for a quick bite to eat, and was going to grab something for Nia as a peace offering (yeah yeah, he’s gonna be a suck-up) when he’d realized that he had no clue what her favorite foods were. They didn’t eat together _all_ the time, sure, but it still lends credence to Nia and Augustus’ points, reinforcing that the charmander is so caught up in his own goals that he’s failing to observe the simplest things. That could get him killed in a dungeon.

So he’d grabbed a basic fruit medley and made his way up. He stops at the doorway to their quarters, not at all surprised to see Nia sitting in the middle of the room with a bunch of books spread out around her. She’s clearly focused, mouthing along to the words she’s reading, a small pad of notes at her side. After a few seconds, he clears his throat. Nia jumps, a hand flying to her heart.

“T-Tobias! You scared me.”

Tobias snorts, then catches himself before making a snide remark. Nice. He has to be nice. “I…made my decision.” Nia blinks at him, unmoving, and he tries to tack on something to make it sound less like a demand. “Did you, uh. Wanna talk about it? Or are you busy?”

Nia’s face is openly surprised at his mild tone, and he fights the urge to roll his eyes. He can have manners when he wants to! He usually just _doesn’t_ want to.

“Y-Yeah! Yeah. Sure.” Nia scrambles to her feet, sending the spread of books a hesitant glance before making her way over to the door. Tobias turns and leads them away from the medical ward, going up a few flights until they reach the mail landing area. Soft, warm, evening light fills the open area, and there’s hardly a Pokémon in sight.

“Oh.” Nia stops, something like recognition in her tone.

Tobias glances at her, a defensive “What?” slipping past his lips. Immediately, he backpedals, looking away and out into the pink sky as he says, “I...come up here to think sometimes.”

Nia blinks, then smiles, small and almost secretive. “Seems like a good place for it.”

Before Tobias can question her, Nia steps moves to one of the ports to peer outside. Tobias follows, recognizing the rarely-used platform and settling down on the warm wood to stare out at the sky. After a moment, Nia joins him, the two of them sitting propped up on either side of the opening, looking out into an endless sea of treetops. Nia doesn’t speak, letting the wind fill the silence.

Tobias opens his mouth, then closes it again. Repeats the process a few times before managing to say, “Can you just…tell me what exactly you’d need me to do? For you to stay on the team with me.”

Nia meets his eyes, face unreadable, searching his gaze. “I’m not trying to make you something you’re not, Tobias. I just...I just want you to actually try treating me like your partner instead of someone you got stuck with dragging around.”

Tobias frowns, but doesn’t object.

“Just...” Nia sighs and rubs at her face with a paw. For the first time Tobias really registers how much of an emotional toll this whole ordeal is taking on her, too. “I know you can be kind. Patient, even. I’ve seen how you are around Xander’s siblings, and Maggie sometimes. I just want you to try to stop hiding that part of yourself. I’m not here to turn on you or judge you or stop you from hunting down those Pokémon. I’m here to help. To take that journey together _with_ you.”

Tobias frowns, swallowing an impulsive response. His immediate thought is to dismiss Nia’s words as a lie, but the riolu has done nothing but try to help him since the moment she got here. Not ratting him out when he ditched her, helping him out of tough spots, even bringing him lunch. He...doesn’t really have a logical reason to think she’s lying now.

It’s a strange, foreign thought.

“In return,” Nia says. “I need you to try to do the same for me. Just...trust me. _Talk_ to me. And actually care about my goals and feelings, too.”

Tobias nods. That’s...understandable, he supposes. Fair. He looks down at his hands. Oh. He’s still holding the bag of fruit. Feeling incredibly awkward, he leans forward and holds it out to her. “I, uh. Wasn’t sure if you ate yet.”

The riolu blinks out of her serious expression, clearly surprised, and reaches to take the bag, opening it and peering inside.

“I dunno what your favorite fruits are, so I just grabbed a bunch.”

He’s not expecting the small smile that curves her lips. “Thank you.” She pulls a small persim berry out of the bag and rolls it around between her palms. “I really like these.”

“Persim berries,” he says, making a mental note of it. “Huh. They’re usually not very popular with fighting types.”

Nia looks at him, ears pricked. “Really? Why?”

Tobias almost growls for her to go look it up in one of her billions of books. Almost rolls his eyes and tells her to ask Maggie or one of her friends. Instead, he bites his tongue. She still insists that she’s human. And she seems genuinely curious, as usual.

“They, uh, cure confusion statuses. From attacks. And since most of those come from psychic moves, and fighting types are weak to psychic types...” Tobias shrugs, not sure how to articulate the rest. It’s just a thing in the Pokémon world. “Most fighting types say they taste weird.”

Nia nods thoughtfully, looking at the little pink fruit as if it holds some sort of secret to the universe. She takes a moment to bite into the berry, peering into the bag. Then, she reaches in and pulls out a rawst berry, offering it to him. He blinks at her paw, then up at her face.

“These are your favorite, right?” There’s nothing proud or boastful about the words, nothing to suggest she’s rubbing the knowledge in his face.

Tobias doesn’t bother to hide his surprise. “How’d you know that?”

She smiles again as he takes the berry and nibbles at its seed-dimpled skin. “I asked you when we were at Hadley’s place.”

Oh, right. She had. He doesn’t think she offered up her own answer, and he knows he definitely didn’t ask. “Sorry,” he mumbles.

“You don’t have to apologize,” Nia says, finishing the other half of her berry. “How about...we just start over?”

Just as Tobias is about to ask what she means, she jabs her open paw in his direction, smiling in an almost shy way. His mind flashes back to the blue light of the tunnels, the both of them bruised but proud. “I’m Nia, your new partner.”

Tobias snorts. Still, he reaches out his own hand to clasp hers, giving it a solid shake. “Tobias. Your, uh...new partner. Really this time.”

Nia giggles and pulls back to continue searching through the fruit, and Tobias fiddles nervously with his scarf. She...really means this, doesn’t she?

“So Tobias, what’s your favorite color?”

The charmander snorts, raising a brow at her. “Seriously?“

“Come on, communicate!” Nia laughs. “Mine is yellow.”

“Big surprise there,” he mumbles. She’s like a ball of sunshine herself—annoyingly bright. “I guess mine is probably...green.”

Nia tilts her head. “Really? I would have guessed red.”

“Because I’m always angry?”

Nia’s expression drops into some form of panic. “N-No! It’s just, your scarf, a-and—“

“Calm down, I was joking.”

“Oh.” Nia stills, an awkward silence falling between them. “S-Sorry. Um. Favorite weather?”

“Hint: I’m a fire type.”

This time, Nia does laugh. “So...bright and sunny?”

“Anything but rain, really. You?”

Nia’s face softens. “Sunshine is nice, but I’ve always liked snow. I love how peaceful and pretty it is. The smell of it. Plus, there’s always hot chocolate and sledding with—“ she stops, eyes blanking out to something vacant and searching. After a moment, the look sours into frustration.

“Still don’t remember?”

Nia breathes out, shaky. “Y-Yeah. Um. Does it snow here?”

Tobias nods, looking out over the forest and picturing it as a landscape of white and ashen brown. “Yeah. We usually get a lot of snow. You’ll have to wait a few months, though.”

Nia perks up. “Oh! I forgot! I was going to ask about that. When’s the first day of autumn here?”

Tobias tilts his head, thinking. It’s nearing the end of summer now, so... “Probably in about two weeks? I’d have check the calendar to be sure. Why?”

“Well, um...” Nia fidgets. “Hazel mentioned something about a meeting for Pokemon who used to be human. I-I found a flyer for it at Afon’s Cap. They’re meeting in Ghatha on the first day of fall, so I was hoping we could maybe...go?”

Tobias straightens up, wanting to protest that they’d only just gotten back from a trip for her benefit, but...this is what her and Augustus were talking about, right? Caring about other Pokémon’s wants and goals? She’s his partner. For real now. So...he guesses that kind of has to be his goal now, too?

“W-We can take a mission that takes us out that way! So we aren’t missing out on Seeker points,” Nia adds, wringing her paws.

Tobias sighs. “Nah. We, uh...we can go, don’t worry about it.”

Nia visibly relaxes. “R-Really?”

“We’re partners now, right? If some info pops up about the outlaws that I want to find, then you’ll help me too, right?”

“Of course!” Nia says, beaming. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and Tobias can’t find it in himself to doubt her sincerity. “Thank you so much! How far is it?”

Tobias hums, leaning back. He doesn’t think he’s actually been to Ghatha, but he knows roughly where it’s at. “It’ll be pricey, but I think walking to the nearest flight station to hitch a ride could get us there in half a day?”

“Flight station?”

“Yeah. It’s a post where Pokémon are employed to give lifts to those who need to travel. There are land and sky Pokémon available around here, but ocean areas get water types, too.”

“Wait—you mean we would fly there?!”

Tobias meets her enthusiasm with a snort. “You might lose your lunch, but yeah.”

Nia only looks more excited at the prospect, bouncing in place. “I’ve never been flying before! At least, I don’t think so.”

“If evolution was still possible, I could fly myself one day,” Tobias says quietly, looking out at the sky. Imagining the wind breezing by him, the trees far below...it brings to mind rides on his parents’ backs, and his heart squeezes in his chest. Suddenly he recalls a flash of his dream last night. Something about a storm? And…Vivi. Maybe Nia senses the way his mood drops, because she doesn’t say anything more, pointedly focusing on her food.

After a few moments of silence, Tobias reigns in his emotions and looks over at her again. “So you did find Hazel?”

Nia nods, excited all over again. “I did!”

She dives into her experience at Afon’s Cap, telling him about searching the town, meeting the pichu brothers he’d passed once or twice, and breaking down crying at a little outdoor cafe.

(And even though she doesn’t directly say it, there’s an awkward gap in her words that makes it clear that he was part of that breakdown. He actually feels a bit guilty about that.)

“So Margot takes me back to her house, and her mom—a raichu, I think she said?— starts making me tea. I’m thinking that she’s going to tell me about Hazel, but it turns out she _is_ Hazel!”

Tobias lets out a low whistle. “Whoa.”

“Yeah! Blew my mind, that’s for sure. Apparently she goes by Alice now to avoid people bothering her about her human roots. She’s been in the Pokémon world for like 40 years.”

The charmander blinks. 40 years? “So she couldn’t find her way back?”

Nia shifts, some of her enthusiasm dying down. “W-Well, she said she tried for a year or so, but then she just focused on building a life here instead.”

Tobias nods. He supposes that makes some sense.

“But I’m not gonna give up,” Nia says, voice hard with determination. “Even if no one’s found a way back yet, there has to be one, right? There has to be some way to find out how we got here and reverse-engineer that process!”

“So that’s why you want to go to the human thing at Ghatha?”

Nia nods, grinning. “Yeah! I figure if anyone’s gonna have answers or any idea what to do next, it’ll be them. Plus, talking to Hazel was...nice. I want to meet more former humans. Not that Pokémon aren’t great! But it’s different when you weren’t born and raised here. It’s…hard, being dropped into a strange world and getting separated from the people you love. Not feeling comfortable in your own body, or knowing the basics facts that _everybody_ else knows.”

Tobias...hadn’t really thought about it that way. Sure, he knew she missed whoever she left behind, knew she dreamed about them most nights when she whimpered in her sleep, knew she was constantly reading in her free time to try and catch up on the basic knowledge that all regular Pokémon have, but...he hadn’t really thought about how it would feel. To feel so out of place and alone in so many ways, just because of her origins. He can understand that all too well.

Ugh. Now he feels bad again.

“Well, we’ll go check it out then,” Tobias says, decisively. “See if anyone can help.”

For a moment Tobias thinks Nia is about to cry. But then she just smiles, giving him the warmest look he’s received in ages. “Thanks, Tobias.”

He shrugs and looks away, fighting off an embarrassed flush.

“We can look around for information about the trio you’re looking for too, while we’re there,” Nia suggests. He looks up at her, surprised. “There’d probably be more info or rumors about them in a big city like that than out here, right?”

“Uh. Yeah.” Good point. So this trip could actually be beneficial for both of them. “We could ask around at the local guild or outlaw services.”

“Or just talk to the townsfolk,” Nia says thoughtfully. “You never know who knows what.”

For the first time this evening, Tobias lets the smallest ghost of a smile onto his face. “All right, so we have a game plan. Work on local missions and training until closer to the first day of fall, then make our way to Ghatha.”

Nia nods. “Sounds good to me!”

“We’ll have to let August know about our plans, but I’m sure he won’t have a problem with it.”

“Awesome! D’you wanna go let Maggie know and see what she thinks?”

“Sure.”

Nia jumps to her feet, grabbing the half-empty bag of berries. Tobias follows her lead, stopping when he remembers something he’d thought of earlier while training. “Oh. Uh. Hold on.”

Nia turns back to him, head tilted. “Yeah?”

He opens his mouth to talk, but then closes it. Starts again. “If I, uh...start being too much of a jerk again, could you just, like...say something? So I know. I know it’s stupid, but—”

“It’s not stupid,” Nia objects softly, cutting him off. “I’ll say something, sure. But um. I’ll try to be patient with you if you try to be patient with me and all my questions?”

“Deal.”

Nia relaxes, turning back to lead them down to the medical floor. “Great! Uh, can I push my luck and ask something right away?”

Oh no. This is what he’s gotten himself into, isn’t it? Constant questions that a ‘mon fresh out of the egg would know. Fantastic.

Swallowing his impatience, he says, “Shoot.”

“Um. How do you not set everything on fire with your tail? We live in a giant tree.”

Before he can stop it, an incredulous bark of laughter slips out of his throat. Tobias had been expecting something about Ghatha, not _this_.

Nia turns to him with an embarrassed expression. “Come on, it’s a reasonable question!”

Another snort of laughter escapes him. “No, it’s really not.”

Nia looks close to laughter herself now, gesturing helplessly at his tail. “Fire ignites things, Tobias! Do you know how long I’ve been wondering about this? I didn’t even ask Maggie because everyone treats it so normally!”

“Fine, fine.” Tobias swings his tail around. “Here, touch the flame.”

Nia’s smile drops. “What? No!”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “Do you want to find out or not? We literally just became partners again. I’m not gonna burn you.”

Nia still hesitates, glancing at his face, but then she holds her breath and shoves her paw into the middle of the flame. After a heartbeat she breathes again, staring with wonder. “It’s just...warm.”

“It’s not an actual flame,” Tobias explains, watching as Nia pulls her paw out of the fire before putting it back in and wiggling her fingers around. “Think just...an extension of my body that imitates a flame. If I get really worked up or angry I can make it heat up to where it would hurt.”

“Wow,” Nia breathes. She pulls her paw back out, flipping it over to look at her palm. “So can you feel my hand when I do that?”

Tobias lets his tail relax again. “Nah. It’s not like that. Think of it more like...fur. You don’t feel pain when your fur is cut.”

“Right, no nerve endings,” she murmurs. “That’s incredible! I bet it makes sense in an evolutionary context too, if I look into the charmander line’s behaviors and natural environment...”

She seems like she’s talking more to herself than him now, so Tobias gives her a nudge. “Walking, remember?”

“Oh! Sorry!” She laughs and hurries to continue down the staircase. Tobias follows. After a moment, she speaks up again. “Sorry if this is like, um...uncomfortable to think about? But water is kind of painful to you, right?”

“Normal water stings a bit, yeah. Water type moves are more dangerous.”

“What would happen if your whole body went underwater? Like, your tail and everything.”

“I’d die.”

Nia trips, falling into the wall and turning to him with a shocked expression. “What?!”

Tobias snorts a quiet laugh. “Okay, that’s just a myth. It really depends on what kind of water we’re talking about. If I fell into a stream, I’d be in pain but I’d be able to flail my way to the bank and pull myself out.”

Nia’s brow furrows. She doesn’t look much more relieved. “But?”

“If I fell into like...the ocean or something? I probably would die if no one came to help me. Holds true for most fire types—we get incredibly weak incredibly fast if we’re submerged in water.”

Nia’s frown only intensifies. “That seems like a really unfair disadvantage for fire types.”

Tobias shrugs. “I guess it is, but we just try to avoid water types and big bodies of water. We make up for it by having really good resilience otherwise. Other types have disadvantages too.”

Nia turns back around and they continue walking. “Like what?”

“Well...you’re a fighting type. So you’re weak to psychic and flying types. Most fighting types are afraid of heights, and depend on solid footing for their attack patterns to really be effective.”

“So it’s hard for them to fight in aerial settings,” Nia concludes.

“Right. And since fighting types are also weak to psychic types, that means they’re just dumber in general.”

Nia stops, whipping around to yelp an offended, “What?!”

Tobias can’t help cackling a laugh. Arceus, she is _so gullible_.

“Oh my god, stop lying to me!” Nia says, looking like she can’t decide whether to laugh or smack him.

“All right, all right,” he says, motioning for her to keep walking. “It actually means that you’ll have more issues detecting psychic energies. Like...a reflect move or an illusion. It would naturally feel more “off” to me than it would to you. Not sure if that holds true for you since you can use aura abilities, though.”

“Maybe I can ask Val,” Nia says thoughtfully as they turn onto the medical floor and follow the familiar path to Maggie’s room.

“Ugh. She’d probably just tell you something super cryptic and weird.”

Nia laughs. “You just say that because you can’t beat her.”

“You can’t either,” Tobias accuses.

“Yeah, but I’m actually okay with it.”

Tobias huffs an irritated breath, but doesn’t take the bait. Soon enough, they arrive at their usual place. Maggie’s inside, carefully stepping over Nia’s scattering of books as she tries to reach her desk area.

“Oh! Sorry, Maggie!” Nia hurries over to collect the thick tomes and scraps of paper. Tobias rolls his eyes and scoops up a few of the books to dump onto the growing pile in the riolu’s arm.

“You’re fine, dear!” Maggie balances the riolu as she teeters dangerously to one side. Nia stumbles her way to their alcove and gently dumps the pile onto the ground. Maggie chuckles under her breath, turning back to Tobias. “Tobias! It’s good to have you back, love. How was the trip?”

“Uh. It was...fine. I—we—“

“I found Hazel!” Nia’s voice calls from their alcove. Tobias relaxes as the riolu hurries back out, taking over the conversation. Saving his butt once again.

Maggie goes back to cataloguing the herbs on her desk, happily listening to Nia’s retelling. Tobias silently joins the meganium, easily falling into the old routine and working in tandem with her vines. The riolu notably leaves out the bits where Tobias ditched her, and the charmander eases into his work as the two chat.

Tobias won’t ever admit it out loud, but...maybe he could get used to this. He’ll give this partners thing his best shot, and if it doesn’t work out…well, he can burn that bridge when he gets to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There won't be an update next week (02/14/2021) so I can focus on school stuff for a bit, but updates will resume as usual the following week (02/21/2021)! ^^


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia spends time with Xander’s team, learning more about aura in the process.

Nia yawns, finally giving up on her book for today and slipping a furret bookmark that Maggie had given her between the pages. No matter how hard Nia tries to focus on the words about different types of Pokémon evolution, the sentences are starting to blur and jumble before her eyes, so she figures it’s time to give it a rest.

She looks up at the two Pokemon lying a few feet away on a mossy rug, comfortably sprawled out in Xander’s team quarters. The luxio and his wartortle partner are playing some sort of game with dice-like stones. Felix is clearly losing, his fluffy ears twitching as he grumbles under his breath. Xander’s cat-like face is smug with victory, his tail flicking side to side with lazy patience.

Avery is sitting at Nia’s side, the two of them relaxing back against the wooden wall on a bed of straw and moss. Nia doesn’t want to disrupt the kirlia’s concentration as they focus on their own book, but the atmosphere is so peaceful and relaxed, bathed in the warm evening sunlight coming through the lattice window, and she can’t help but feel comfortable enough to speak up.

“Can I ask you guys something?”

All three Pokemon look up, faces open and curious.

“‘Course,” Felix says.

Nia smiles, a little embarrassed. “I know your team is just as busy as ours, if not more so. How are you not, like...exhausted? Literally all the time?”

Xander looks back to the game, laughter in his voice as he responds, “Oh trust me, we are. It used to be worse, before we got used to the job and the demanding work hours.”

“Naps help a lot, when you can manage ‘em,” Felix adds, frowning as he rolls the dice. He’s had horrible luck this whole game. At least, that’s what he’s been saying. Nia still hasn’t quite picked up the rules from watching. “You feeling worn down?”

Nia leans back against the wood of the tree. The bark making up the architecture of the tree is smooth, and thanks to her fur it isn’t even uncomfortable to lean against. She closes her eyes and hums.

“Yeah, I guess. I know I’ve been here a few weeks, but I think I’m just not used to everything yet.”

“I’ll never get used to waking up so early,” Felix grumbles. “Mornings are suffering.”

Nia laughs. “Actually, that part’s not too bad. It’s more the battling, I think. And just...I dunno, emotional stuff.”

“Mental exhaustion can take a big toll,” Avery says at her side, voice soft. They close their own book to turn their full attention to the conversation.

“I’d be exhausted too if I had Tobias for a partner,” Felix says. He’s clearly teasing, but Nia knows that on some level the wartortle actually means it. “I don’t know how you put up with him every day, Nia.”

Nia’s torn between a laugh and the urge to roll her eyes. She settles on a light tone to match the wartortle’s. “Come on, I told you we worked everything out the other day. He’s trying harder to be nice.”

Felix and Xander both make a doubtful noise.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Xander says.

“Well, I think it’s great that Tobias is trying to grow,” Avery says, giving Nia a soft smile.

Nia smiles back and leans forward to watch the boys’ game again, cupping her chin in her hands.

“He’s been really patient with all of my questions since we talked,” Nia says, feeling like she should defend her partner somehow. It’s clear that he’s been trying hard to reign in his temper and be more considerate the last few days, even if he still struggles with it. “When we cleaned out the guild’s food storage this morning, he didn’t even snap at me when I bumped into some shelves and buried us in rice.”

Xander snorts. “That’s called being a decent Pokémon, Nia. Don’t give him too much credit.”

“I’m not! I’m just saying he’s doing better, y’know?”

Felix gives Nia a grin, tilting his head in consideration. “You’re too sweet, ya know that?”

Nia doesn’t know what to say to that, so she blushes under her fur and makes a show of moving her book to her side with a quiet word of thanks.

“Yo! I’m back. Did Felix get whooped yet?”

Nia jumps and looks up to see that Kry has returned from her trip to the cafeteria to find a snack. The dinosaur-like pokemon is munching on an apple as she plops down next to Felix and Xander.

“Hey, I could still win,” Felix protests.

“Ha! Yeah, and bagon can fly.”

“You do know they can fly when they evolve, right?”

“Not anymore, genius! No evolution, no wings!”

Felix deflates and grumbles to himself as he goes back to the game. Nia tilts her head and leans closer to Avery.

“S-Sorry. Uh, what kind of Pokémon is Kry again?”

“A fraxure. Dragon type, middle evolution like the rest of us.”

Nia nods. Right. Fraxure. It certainly looks like the aggressive Pokémon could live up to her name and fracture some bones, from the brief interactions Nia’s seen. Kry’s a bit...rough around the edges. But it’s clear she fits right in with the rest of Xander’s team. Somehow.

“What have you been reading, if you don’t mind me asking?” Avery asks, polite as ever.

Nia shakes herself out of her thoughts. “No, of course I don’t mind!” She holds up the book. “It’s about different kinds of evolution? I still don’t exactly, uh. Get it. As a process. But it’s fascinating to learn about all the different ways it’s triggered.”

Avery tilts their head, looking at Nia with thoughtful consideration. “You don’t understand evolution?”

Nia’s ears flatten. “W-Well, uh, no, but—“

“Does evolution not happen to humans?”

It’s clear that Avery isn’t judging Nia’s confusion, just curious in return. Still, Nia is thankful that they keep their voice hushed.

“N-No, definitely not,” Nia says. “At least, not in the same way? I think? When Pokémon evolve, they change...suddenly, right? Like, Xander used to look like Luca and then he suddenly turned into a luxio?”

Avery hums. “More or less, yes.”

“Is...Is that...how Pokémon grow up, uh...physically? By evolving?”

The kirlia shakes their head, eyes softening into something almost sad. “No. If that were the case we’d all be in danger of dying out, with how Pokemon can no longer evolve. Don’t worry, you’re an adult by Pokémon standards, even as a riolu.”

Nia relaxes at the confirmation. With the way everyone has been treating her, she was pretty sure they’d been seeing her as the adult she felt she was in the human world, but it’s still nice to know for sure.

“Pokemon can stay unevolved forever,” Avery goes on. “They’ll grow larger than a child Pokémon of the same species, though, and physically mature. Their...statures would simply be smaller than if they evolved. Weaker.”

Nia nods. That...makes some sense, in a way. Even with humans, there were grown women who ended up much shorter than some teenage boys. Different statures among the same species.

“Humans don’t ever...change so radically. So suddenly. At least not naturally.”

Avery turns curious eyes onto Nia, so the riolu continues.

“We start out tiny, and then just grow gradually until we reach adulthood. We can change parts of ourselves, of course—darken our skin, cut our hair, change our clothes or our entire style. But...that’s not what evolution is for, right? Aesthetics, individuality? Comfort?”

The kirlia hums. “No. Evolution is typically for...strength, I suppose. Increased speed, strength, defense, sheer size.”

“So for battling?” Nia asks, confusion edging into her voice. She knew that Pokémon were more biologically geared towards fighting, with their toughened defense and incredible healing capabilities, but she also knows that most Pokémon don’t seem to prefer fighting aside from playful battles. At least, not anymore. Now they’re bakers, florists, carvers and artisans. A society.

Maybe Avery understands what Nia’s getting at, because the kirlia looks thoughtful. “There’s a reason so many Pokémon evolve through battling experience and so few from exposure to stones, or travel. Most Pokémon evolve by training themselves and growing stronger. Legends say that Pokémon used to be more...primitive. Less civilized. I believe it used to be less about strength and more about survival.”

Nia watches as Felix tries to creep his hand over the dice to cheat a turn of the stones. Xander, discussing strategies in-depth with Kry, doesn’t even look before batting the turtle’s hand away with a paw. Felix yelps, and Nia giggles.

“Maybe that’s why evolution stopped working?” Nia suggests. “Maybe Pokémon have just...evolved to the point that strength evolution isn’t necessary anymore. You’re a society now, after all. You didn’t need to be physically strong to have a lot of power or be successful in the human world. We have systems, laws, protectors. Technology and weapons. Maybe you’ve just reached a point in society where that changed enough for you guys, too.”

Avery suddenly laughs, tinkling and light. Nia isn’t sure whether to feel happy at the sound or embarrassed that she’d apparently said something stupid. She settles for staring at the kirlia with wide eyes and heated fur.

“Apologies,” Avery says, meeting Nia’s eyes, ruby to ruby. “It wasn’t a stupid thought at all. Fascinating, actually. I was just...struck. By finding such a kindred spirit in you. Xander’s the only one who even tries to humor my philosophical ramblings.”

Nia feels herself relax, and laughs as well. “Two curious souls, huh?”

Avery just smiles, warm and soft.

“What’re you two nerds laughing about?” Kry asks.

Nia looks up to see the other three Pokémon staring at them.

Avery waves their hand in a dismissive motion. “My usual ramblings, Kry. Don’t mind us.”

“Talking about evolution!” Nia adds.

At that, Xander and Felix go back to their game with amused smirks. Kry, however, rolls her eyes. “Why? We can’t evolve anyways.”

“But maybe it could be fixed?” Nia suggests. When Kry turns a doubtful look on her, the riolu shrinks back. “I-I mean, maybe not, but...”

“No harm in discussing it, right?” Avery says.

Kry snorts and goes back to the game. “Guess not.”

Nia relaxes. She knows there’s no reason for Kry to put her on edge, but she just has such a...strong personality. Nia’s become more used to Tobias’ sharp attitude, but Kry? Not so much.

“Would you evolve? If you could?”

Nia blinks and turns to Avery at the unexpected question. “W-What?”

"Would you like to evolve if it were possible?” Avery repeats. Maybe this is a normal question for most Pokémon. Or for their teammates and friends, at least.

“U-Um. I don’t know? Maybe?” Nia flicks her tail into her lap, trying to sound confident. “I mean, it doesn’t really matter much to me, since I’m going back to the human world as soon as I can find a way to return, s-so...”

Avery doesn’t respond aside from a soft sound that Nia can’t quite decipher. She’s too afraid to look at the kirlia’s expression, too scared of seeing the pity or doubt she might find there, so she deflects. “Besides, to evolve I’d have to form an affection, um...”

“Bond?”

“Yeah! An affection bond with someone. And from what I’ve read, that doesn’t seem to mean just a casual friendship.”

Avery nods, eyeing their teammates. “Correct. An affection bond that can lead to evolution only occurs between Pokemon who trust each other with anything. Who see each other as they truly are and would likely die for each other.”

Nia flicks her ear, nervously. “Th-That’s a bit, uh. Extreme.”

Avery laughs lightly under their breath. “Indeed. It’s simply how we tend to describe it. It’s...the deepest form of love, whether platonic or romantic.”

Nia nods, shifting uncomfortably. “Yeah, so...I mean, don’t get me wrong! I’m really glad I met you guys and Andyn’s group and Maggie and, uh, even Tobias, in a weird way. But...”

“You don’t think you’ll ever have that sort of bond with us,” Avery guesses.

Nia flinches. The psychic type’s words aren’t cold or insulted, but it still sounds...harsh.

“Yeah, I guess,” Nia rasps, pulling her knees up to her chest. “It’s just...I’m planning on leaving, you know? I don’t wanna get too close to anyone just to leave us both heartbroken when I go.”

Avery doesn’t answer, but the silence doesn’t feel heavy. Still, Nia rests her chin on her hands, sighing. She wants to go home, nice as it is here, but she still feels bad just leaving these people behind after their kindness.

She’ll miss them.

Maybe Avery picks up on Nia’s mood change, because they turn to the riolu with an encouraging smile. “Xander mentioned that you can read the aura of other Pokemon now. Would you like to try it on me, if it’s not too much strain?”

Nia recognizes the distraction technique, but can’t help feeling grateful for it. She lifts her head, blinking. “R-Really?”

“I’m a psychic type. I know how exciting it is to try out a new mental technique with someone willing.”

Nia straightens up and turns to the kirlia, feeling a smile edge at her lips. It’s not every day she gets to test her aura abilities on someone new! So far she’s only felt Val and Maggie’s auras, and Amani’s blossoming pink during a different training session. “O-Okay. You know it’s pretty, uh…personal, though, right? Like, I’m kind looking at your soul, I think?”

Avery nods with a smile. “I’m aware.”

“J-Just let me know if you want me to stop, okay? I’ll need your hand, though.”

Avery offers a delicate hand.

Nia takes it and closes her eyes, summoning her aura (it gets easier every time she does it!), pouring it down her arm and into her hand, brushing it against the kirlia’s skin to find their aura. When Avery’s silhouette sparks to life behind Nia’s eyes, she laughs. Even without looking deeper towards the core of Avery’s aura, Nia can feel the prickle of their curiosity.

“Your aura’s blue like mine!” Nia explains.

The kirlia laughs too, quietly. “Kindred spirits indeed.”

Nia nods. “Your aura is more of a...purpley-blue, though. Deeper. Kind of indigo.” It feels...serene. Filled with a boundless curiosity and something deeply wise. It’s a dusk sky just as stars begin to shine, a calm evening full of possibilities. It’s actually a little difficult to put her finger on, to interpret the color into a personality, more difficult than it has been so far. Before Nia can go on, Felix’s hushed voice breaks through her concentration.

“That’s so cool!”

Nia jumps, yanking her hand back as the tear drops at her head drop lightly to the collar of fur around her neck. Nia turns to find Xander, Felix, and even Kry sitting close to her and Avery and watching the whole ordeal with fascination.

“Ooh! Can you do me next?” Felix asks excitedly, scooting closer as if she won’t see him there, practically bouncing in his seat.

Xander gives Felix a reprimanding look. “Dude, chill, she might need to rest or something. You know how Avery gets when they’re overworked.”

Before Felix can deflate under the scolding, Nia smiles. “N-No, I can do it, don’t worry. Just give me a second. I’m still learning so it kind of wipes me out, but that’s why I need to practice. You don’t mind me reading your aura? It’s kind of, um. Personal.”

Felix grins at her with shining eyes. “Nah, I don’t mind if it’s not too exhausting for you.”

Nia exchanges an amused look with Avery, then turns her body to Felix. She closes her eyes, holds out her hand for him to take, and then repeats the process of finding her aura, and sending it to where she’s touching the wartortle’s skin.

Felix’s aura flares to life behind Nia’s eyes, and she feels her face drop slack in surprise as the color registers. “Oh. Felix, you’re green.”

The turtle sounds as surprised as his aura feels, the green energy jumping in intensity. “Really?”

“Yeah. Like...a calm, leafy sort of green.” Not _calm_ in the typical sense because the wartortle is certainly not that, but…flexible, she supposes. Purposefully not anxious. Like the changing seasons and the trees that follow them, very go-with-the-flow and easygoing. As unexpectedly sturdy as an oak tree, too. Comforting. It does make sense for the wartortle, in a way, but she has to admit she’s surprised by how deep into his very being his instincts to _comfort amuse stabilize_ go. Oh, he is a very kind soul. A very open, _alive_ soul.

Kry snorts. “Calm. Sure. Clearly you’ve never seen him after being rejected by someone.”

“Hey!” Felix says, indignant.

Nia’s concentration is broken again, and Felix’s hand is yanked away. She blinks back into reality only to sees Kry and Felix play wrestling. Xander rolls his eyes at them, but then looks back at Nia, ears swiveling forward and his brow furrowing with concern. “You okay?”

Oh, she’s breathing harder as her powers take a toll on her. But she doesn’t feel nauseous yet, which must mean she’s getting better! She gives Xander a smile. “I’m fine. This is already leagues better than I was a few days ago! Want me to check your aura, too?”

Xander blinks, exchanging a glance with Avery. Just as Nia’s about to reassure him he doesn’t have to agree, he nods. “You sure you’re okay? I don’t want you to push yourself too hard.”

For a moment, Nia’s thrown by the obvious concern in the luxio’s voice, and her heart squeezes with something fond—

_(She said she wasn’t going to make strong friendships here, she can’t, she’s leaving, but—)_

—but then she just laughs it off, shaking her head. “N-No, I’m fine. Really.”

Xander looks at her face a moment longer, as if he’s worried she’s lying to him and about to pass out. But then he nods and lifts a paw for her to take.

Nia smiles and closes her eyes, curious despite herself. She’s only known Xander for a couple of weeks, but the more auras that Nia reads the more interesting they become, the more exciting it is to reconcile them with a person’s outward personality. So she reaches out eagerly with her aura, ignoring the strain that she’d just reassured she wasn’t feeling, and nearly recoils in surprise when Xander’s silhouette lights up in a very distinct color. It’s not a deep, protective blue, as she would have guessed, or really _any_ color that she would have predicted.

It’s bright red.

Red, like blood pulsing from a wound, but it doesn’t bring to mind pain or aggression. It’s the blood of a beating heart, it’s the red of passion and emotion, almost too bright in its intensity, almost _volatile_ , and oh, she never would have guessed that this was such an integral part of cool and collected Xander, that he would _feel_ emotions so strongly they _hurt._ His aura is the blood of a fierce battle, of a pulse pounding away to act _,_ to _protect._ It’s the red of a heart willing to bleed out before losing those close to him.

A surge of what Nia now recognizes as concern flows through his aura and slams into her like a tidal wave. Nia feels herself physically knocked back from the strength of it, pulling her hands away to catch herself. She snaps back to reality, breathing hard and loud in the quiet of the room, her heart pounding.

Xander is watching her with wide eyes, one paw lifted as if he’d reached out to help but then feared making things worse. Avery is watching her too. The sounds of Kry and Felix’s tussling have stopped.

“Nia? Are you all right?” Avery finally asks, voice soft and level.

Nia swallows hard, her own heart just starting to slow from the overwhelming intensity of Xander’s aura. She looks at the luxio again, and that’s what finally prompts her to pant, “I-I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Xander asks. “I didn’t hurt you?”

“Y-Yeah, no, sorry, that was just, uh. Unexpected? You’re red, by the way.” Just saying Xander’s aura is _red_ is the understatement of the century, but how is she supposed to explain what she just felt?

“Red?” Xander echoes, his stiff posture finally starting to relax again. Kry and Felix move closer to listen.

Avery hums. “Interesting. And that means?”

Nia fiddles with the collar of fur around her neck, gaze flicking up to the sun-washed ceiling as she thinks. “W-Well...I’m not sure how good I am at explaining it...”

“Wait, but you said green meant calm, right?” Felix asks. “Isn’t there like...a color cheat sheet or something? Like a list of what each color means?”

“ _Your_ green is calm,” Nia corrects. “The colors sort of tell me about someone’s personality and who they are, but I don’t think there’s like...a strict color-code?”

Nia looks to Avery for help, but the kirlia only offers a sympathetic shrug. Oh. Apparently their psychic powers don’t work the same way.

“U-Um. Okay. So for example, my aura is sort of a turquoise blue, but Avery’s is more purple, like a royal blue or indigo. Their aura feels...calmer than mine does, I guess? And Felix, yours is green because you’re so adaptable, like the trees. Very go-with-the-flow, but still sturdy and reliable. Someone else’s aura might be green too but feel super different to me.”

There’s a moment of quiet as they all digest that information, and Nia cringes. “...At least, I think that’s how it works.”

“So what did my aura feel like?” Xander finally asks. “Mine seemed to…affect you differently than the others’ did.”

Nia hesitates, still fiddling with her fur. How does she describe this? “Yours is red, but it’s red like…passion, I guess would be the word. It’s just really emotional? Kind of intense, actually. I’ve never felt someone’s emotions as strongly as I did yours. They kind of swept me away and knocked me right out of my aura state.”

When Nia looks away from the ceiling to gauge the others’ reaction to that, her stomach drops. Xander is staring at her in something close to horror, his fur lifting like a startled cat. She catches Felix shooting Xander a worried look. Wait, what…what happened? She just described his aura to him. Why does he look so upset?

Before the silence can grow too tense, Kry snorts and crosses her arms, apparently tone-deaf to the sudden shift of the room’s mood. “That’s a load of crap. Xander’s the most level-headed one here. Do mine next.”

Nia opens her mouth to say no, watching Xander back away with a gaze like he isn’t totally here. Avery and Felix exchange a concerned look before the kirlia moves to follow the luxio, approaching him with soft words and a hand soothing the spiked fur along his spine.

“Well?” Kry grunts, shifting to cut into Nia’s line of sight.

“W-Wait, Xander—”

“You admittin’ you were wrong?” Kry says, almost like a challenge. “Too afraid to read mine?”

Nia focuses on the fraxure, huffing in irritation. She just upset Xander—and something in her recoils at that thought, already flooded with guilt—and Kry hasn’t even _noticed?_ Fine, if reading Kry’s aura will get her to shut up and _move_ so Nia can check on Xander, she’ll do it. Nia closes her eyes and touches Kry’s open palm. She shoots her aura down her arm and into her paw almost angrily, and Kry’s energy flares to life. Once again, the color that she finds there isn’t quite what she’s expecting.

“You’re…gold,” Nia says. It’s the gold shine of priceless treasure, something proud and hard-fought. But it’s also the gold of armor, of a shield, determined and immovable. Protective. She feels the fraxure’s emotions shift too rapidly for her to catch, but she doesn’t really care too much anyways, with what’s happening to Xander three feet away. Nia pulls back and opens her eyes, meeting Kry’s hard stare with her own.

“So what’s gold mean?”

Nia frowns. “It feels...determined. Proud, I guess. I dunno, I’m not very good at this yet.” Nia’s attention is elsewhere, and she leans past the dinosaur to see Xander, only to find that Xander and Avery have disappeared from the room entirely. Felix meets her panicked gaze with a sad, soothing smile.

“Sorry, Nia, Xander just…had to get some air. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”

“Wait, what…what happened?” Nia rasps. “Is Xander okay? He looked...”

Felix and Kry exchange a meaningful look. The wartortle nods, and Kry moves to start cleaning up the game abandoned on the rug a few feet away, completely silent. It’s such a shift from her aggressive prodding moments before that Nia wonders if the fraxure wasn’t as oblivious to Xander’s sudden emotional turn as she thought.

Was Kry distracting her?

“Nia,” Felix says, catching her attention again. He gives her a small smile. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Just…accidentally brought up some unhappy memories for Xander.”

Nia wilts, her heart sinking in her chest. She really likes Xander—she didn’t mean to upset him! Why would learning about his aura have upset him so much? Is this what Val was warning her about, about using her powers responsibly? But she didn’t do it without asking. He _wanted_ to know! Should she have not told him what she saw? But then she would have had to lie to him!

“I didn’t mean to upset him,” Nia whimpers.

Felix’s expression softens. “I know you didn’t. And he does too, don’t worry. But maybe for tonight you should head back to Maggie’s. C’mon, I’ll walk with you.”

Nia opens her mouth to protest—she doesn’t want to just _leave_ without talking to Xander or at least apologizing to him! But Felix is already at the doorway to the hall, beckoning her with a twitch of his fluffy tail. He doesn’t seem angry with her, but it’s clear that he’s nudging her to leave for today. Feeling upset and a lot less proud of her aura abilities, Nia grabs her book and follows him out the door, shuffling up the guild’s stairs and hoping Maggie doesn’t ask her what’s wrong.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia and Tobias track down their first outlaw!
> 
> TW: Blood/Injuries

“What’s up with you today?”

Nia jumps, looking over at Tobias in surprise. “W-What?”

The charmander huffs out an irritated puff of smoke, focusing his gaze on the scenery of the dungeon they’re in. “You’re all mopey. Have been since last night.”

“Oh.” Nia hops over a small rivulet of water, weighing whether she wants to tell the truth or not. It’ll probably just make him mad, considering who she’s worked up about, but she doesn’t wanna lie to him either. “I uh. I think I upset Xander yesterday.”

As expected, the charmander rolls his eyes. “That‘s reason to celebrate, not mope.”

“Tobias,” Nia warns. “You’re being a jerk again.”

Tobias grumbles something under his breath, but then says, “Fine. Whatcha do?”

Nia fiddles with the branch she’d picked out for her weapon today, spinning it in her fingers with clumsy movements. “That’s just it. I’m not really sure? M-My aura reading came up in conversation so I was just telling everyone how their aura looks, and when I told Xander he got all...quiet. Avery had to take him out of the room.”

“Did he even want his aura read?”

“Of course!” Nia says, giving Tobias a frown. “I wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t asked.”

Tobias doesn’t answer, and as the two of them walk, eyeing the walls and clefts of the rocky terrain for hidden ferals, Nia assumes he won’t. Then, he mumbles, “Maybe he didn’t like what you found.”

Nia’s ears flick back. That’s more or less the conclusion she’d come to as well. But all she’d told him was that his aura was red. Emotional, passionate. Why would that bother him so much? Sure, he always seems so calm and collected and with such an emotional aura he must have to work hard for that image, but it can’t just be that. She knows Tobias won’t know any better than she will, so for now she just sighs and moves on.

If she were in a better mood, Nia bets she’d really be enjoying the dungeon they’re in today. Apparently the mystery dungeon popped up in a small rocky riverbed, a bit scarce in terms of foliage, because the mystery dungeon itself has grown into a canyon-like labyrinth. Rocky brown stone, sunbaked and pale, and small streams of water flowing through the dungeon’s halls and rooms. Nia’s paws feel a bit rough from the scratchy, hot rock underfoot, but occasionally she steps into a shallow stream to cool down. 

More than once she thinks she sees something move above her in the streams’ reflection, just a brief flicker of movement, but every time Nia looks up, the canyon walls are empty. She’s probably just paranoid about the outlaw. Hopefully. There aren’t any other signs they’re being watched, so she must be imagining it.

As for Tobias, he seems torn, probably enjoying the heated rocks and warm day but clearly hating the water he has to jump over and climb around. Still, this is the first dungeon they’ve been to since their reconciliation a few days ago, and despite the tension in his body he’s doing a good job of keeping things civil.

“So you said we’re capturing an outlaw? Uh, how exactly does that work?” Nia asks, trying not to sound as nervous as she feels.

Tobias jumps and heaves himself up onto a large rock blocking the narrow path, claws scrabbling, before turning to answer. “Criminals like to hide in mystery dungeons to avoid getting caught. So we have to track this guy down, knock him out, and take him back to the guild.”

Nia, branch tucked into the strap of their exploration bag and busy trying to haul herself up the stone, asks, “W-Wait, so he’s not feral?”

“Nope. Just an idiot who robbed a seed patch nearby.”

Nia slips with a yelp and slides back to the ground. She shakes out her stinging claws and glares up at the rock. “Dang it!”

Tobias snorts a laugh, looking down at her. “Am I gonna be called a jerk again if I decide to just sit and watch you struggle? Because it’s pretty entertaining.”

Nia groans. “I can’t help that I’m not built for climbing! I’m a dog for God’s sake.”

“What in Entei’s name is a dog?”

“If you help me up, I’ll tell you!”

Tobias rolls his eyes but dutifully stretches out on his belly, reaching his arms down. Nia backs up and takes a running leap at the stone. She hits the hard surface, and before her dull claws let her slide back down, Tobias grabs her wrists, yanking her up. Nia pulls herself over the top, plopping down to catch her breath.

“Ugh, I hate climbing!”

“Good, ‘cause you suck at it.”

Nia laughs, shooting the charmander a playful glare. “Hey, I used to be great at climbing trees when I was human! At least _I_ can still swim.”

Tobias looks downright offended. “I’m a fire type!”

“And I have a dog body. We’re even.” Nia sits up, rights their satchel and retrieves her branch, then follows Tobias’ grumbling as he slips down the other side of the boulder and back onto solid ground.

They continue down the path (What floor are they on now? Fourth?), and after a few moments Tobias speaks up again.

“So?”

“Uh. S-So what?”

“What’s a dog?”

Nia blinks. “Oh! You actually wanna know?”

“Not really,” Tobias growls, “But these stairs are impossible to find and the ferals are hiding from the outlaw, so you might as well tell me. I’m getting bored.”

Nia hides a smile and looks up to the sliver of blue sky she can see between rocky canyon walls. How does she even explain something like this?

“Well...in my world, there are humans, and plants, but there are also things called animals. I would say that Pokémon are...mostly like humans? You’re smart. You can talk and you have a society and stuff. But most Pokemon _look_ more like animals. Fluffy, or scaly, or resembling certain body types. Like...you look like a lizard, kind of. And I kind of look like a dog.“

“A...lizard?”

Nia nods, encouraged by his thinly veiled curiosity. “Yeah! Um, there are different kinds, but they all have a similar shape and stuff. Four legs, low to the ground, long tail, scaly. Um...you’re kind of like a two-legged version? Lizards definitely can’t breathe fire, though.”

“So I’m like a lizard but a lot cooler,” Tobias surmises.

Nia laughs, loud and caught off-guard. “Pretty much, yeah. Animals aren’t, uh, seen the same as humans, though. They aren’t...lesser, really? But they’re...different. They think differently. More simply, I guess. Lots of humans keep certain kinds of animals as pets.”

“‘Pets?’” Tobias echoes.

“Yeah! Like partners, kind of. Y’know, in their homes. They take care of them, and in return they get to watch them grow and bond with ‘em. They become companions, even if they might not think of us the same way.”

Tobias doesn’t answer for a few moments, carefully skirting around a puddle. “So the, uh...the animals don’t get a say in the matter?”

“Oh.” Nia stops, brow furrowing. “I mean...I guess not? But it’s almost like potting a plant in your house. As long as the animal’s happy and its needs are being met, it doesn’t really matter? Most house pets don’t really have a concept of like...captivity? I don’t think so, at least. I guess some smarter ones do, like monkeys.”

Tobias shoots her a look that’s surprisingly uneasy. “That still sounds unfair.”

Nia sighs. “It’s hard to explain when you don’t really have a concept for animals. Like, maybe dogs would’ve been a better example. They’re pack animals to start with, so when we take care of them they become part of our family, and they see us as their pack. They’re really happy with humans. It’s harder to tell with things like lizards or snakes or something, but dogs and cats definitely bond with humans like their own species.”

Tobias frowns, but not in the way that says he wishes Nia would shut up. This one looks more thoughtful. Nia doesn’t mind this frown as much. Eventually, he seems to settle on, “Humans are weird.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong. But the Pokémon world is still ten times weirder.”

Tobias snorts. “Hardly.”

“You have sentient trash bags, Tobias! And creatures that can use _psychic powers_! That’s not normal!”

Tobias cracks a grin. “Wait until you see a cryogonal or Mr. Mime for the first time. Now _those_ are weird.”

Nia stares at him, surprised by the teasing and almost friendly tone of his voice. “Did you just say a ‘Mr. Mime’? As in that’s what an entire species is called?”

“You’ll know one when you see one.”

From there, the conversation dies off into a strangely comfortable silence as the two of them continue through the dungeon. Nia had almost forgotten where they were with how casually they were talking. The ferals of the dungeon still seem to be hiding from the outlaw (and _that_ doesn’t make Nia nervous at all), but occasionally they hear one scrabbling along the stone just out of sight or growling in the distance.

They climb to the next floor, and then the next, and even there the ferals are still and silent.

“A-Are you sure we can handle this outlaw?” Nia whispers 

Tobias rolls his eyes. “The mission was on the E-rank board for a reason. We’ll be fine.”

Nia nods, not any more assured than before. “H-How will we even know what they look like?”

“The mission said it was a panpour, idiot—" Nia shoots him a frown, and he softens his harsh tone. “Uh. Blue water type. Can stand on two feet? Long tail and big ears. Fuzzy. Plus, they won’t be feral.”

“R-Right.”

From there, the tension in Nia’s body only grows. It’s one thing to fight ferals that are clearly out for her blood, Pokemon that feel more like rabid animals than _people_ , but fighting an outlaw...

The two of them round another corner, and before either can react, a huge spray of water slams into Tobias. The charmander is thrown back with an uncharacteristic cry of pain, into Nia, and the two of them tumble to the ground in a heap.

Nia’s first to stagger back to her feet, shaking her wet fur and looking up to find what must be the outlaw darting into the narrow canyon hallway where they are. He looks like a blue...monkey? Slightly smaller than her and Tobias, but _fast_. Maybe the most startling thing is how coherent the monkey looks, eyes flashing not with a mindless aggression but with an expression of intentional malice.

“You two are Seekers? You’ve gotta be kidding me—I heard you from across the map!”

The monkey braces himself and rears back, cheeks puffing. Nia barely realizes what he’s doing in time to jump between the next spray of water and Tobias’ shaky form. The water slams into her like a fire hose, and she grits her teeth and tries to stay on her feet as she slides back. She never knew water could _sting_ so badly!

The attack stops, and Nia looks back to the monkey with wide eyes, panting. Except he’s gone, leaping past and behind them again—

“Gotta move,” Tobias gasps out, finally getting his legs under him.

“What?”

Instead of answering, the charmander grabs Nia’s arm and runs for the room the monkey had come out of. They barely make it in before another jet of water is shot at them from behind. They fling themselves off to the sides, to the safety of the room’s walls, wild eyes meeting.

“We’re not trapped in such a tight space here,” Tobias explains, seeming like he’s finally caught his breath again. Nia’s still a little shaken by how a single water move hurt him so badly, but nods.

“N-Now what?”

“We beat him into the dirt!”

The monkey comes barreling into the room, skidding around with a grin. “Good luck with that, kiddos.”

Tobias lunges forward with a snarl, but Nia hesitates, watching as the monkey dodges the charmander’s slashing claws and tail whips with nimble ease. Tobias only spares a puff of small embers here and there to throw the outlaw off, focusing more on physical attacks.

The monkey shoves Tobias away from him, then claps his hands together. In an instant his body is glowing a bright blue (and in a moment of confused panic, Nia thinks he’s using aura). But then a cloud of shining blue water sprays out and around the room. The air feels damp and misty now. Tobias snarls, then goes back to madly swinging at the monkey, no longer using his flames.

The monkey dodges and weaves, takes a moment to time his shot, and then spits a strong jet of water straight into Tobias’ face. The charmander makes a pained sound and stumbles back.

Then the monkey turns to Nia, smirking. “So what’s with you, pup? Just letting your partner do all the work?”

Nia swallows hard and takes a step back, holding her branch in front of her like a sword. Her heart is roaring in her ears and her stomach feels knotted up. This feels different than fighting ferals, somehow. She still doesn’t know how to fight anyways, not really, not with just a few lessons, and it’s one thing to counter mindless ferals, another entirely to be able to hold her ground against someone like this! This is like...an actual _person!_

“Nia, snap out of it!” Tobias growls, lunging at the monkey again.

The charmander is clearly wearing down, but Nia can’t seem to unfreeze herself, staring at the fight in a panic. This is so different. This isn’t defending someone—or yourself—from a rabid animal, this is willingly going toe-to-toe with a criminal.

She can’t do this. Not on a physical level or an emotional one.

With a few more nimble dodges, the monkey is once again shoving the charmander away and blasting him with a water move. Tobias falls to the ground and doesn’t get back up.

The outlaw turns to Nia, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “I’m actually a little offended that the guild thought you two could bring me in. What is this, your first day?”

Nia doesn’t answer, gripping shaky fingers tighter around her pathetic weapon. Her eyes flick nervously from the outlaw to Tobias, and she knows he’s not dead or anything, his tail flame is still flickering, but seeing him so still in the dirt is making her chest tighten with fear. She doesn’t want to see anyone hurt, not even a criminal, but she’s already grown a bit fond of the sharp-tempered charmander and he can’t do this on his own so she _has_ to fight—

The outlaw must be sick of waiting for her response, because the next thing she knows she’s being blasted into the wall by a painful jet of water. Her head bounces off the canyon wall, but she stays on her feet, shaking her head to get rid of the stars in her vision. As she does, she sees the monkey grin.

He’s enjoying this. Enjoying hurting them.

Fighting ferals is one thing—they don’t know what they’re doing, they aren’t actively, consciously trying to hurt people. And in a way, that’s easier. But this guy? This guy’s just a jerk who stole some items and is beating up two teenagers for fun, getting some kind of sick enjoyment out of it. Yes, he feels more like a person than the ferals, but doesn’t that just make it _worse?_ That he’s doing bad things _intentionally?_

Suddenly, her fear feels a lot more like anger.

The monkey goes to attack again, almost lazily, and the riolu _moves_ , pushing off the wall. She sprints for the monkey, taking him by surprise and swinging her branch around to slam into his stomach.

The monkey staggers back with a wheeze, and for a split-second Nia hesitates. He didn’t react how ferals do, didn’t just shake off the hit with an inhuman growl and a counterattack. He’d grabbed at his stomach, grumbled under his breath like a _person,_ and something about hitting him so solidly, seeing the damage she did to him, it still throws her off even through her adrenaline rush.

And now the monkey’s angry, wiping at his mouth to glare at her. “Oh, so you were holding out on me, huh?”

He darts forward, and it’s all Nia can do to keep his claws and sharp teeth away from her body. She’s on defense now, smacking away attacking limbs with her branch and stepping steadily back, keeping her eyes focused on the monkey’s body and letting her peripheral vision react to the lightning-fast strikes like Val taught her. It’s terrifying and doesn’t even leave her time to think about what she’s doing, her body working fully on instinct.

It’s a little bit exhilarating, too.

But then the monkey’s hands change target, grabbing Nia’s branch and yanking it out of her hold before she can register what’s happening. In one swift movement, he snaps the branch in half and chucks the pieces over his shoulder. Then he lunges at her again, and she barely manages to catch the monkey’s hands in her own. Her head snaps up to meet his grin a heartbeat before he blasts her with another water attack. The move knocks her back and off her feet, and she rolls to the side to avoid a follow-up attack.

The monkey just keeps coming at her, and she’s scrambling back to avoid it, thoughts racing, about to block a hit to the face when something small blurs past her vision to hit the outlaw right on the forehead. He shouts, staggering back. Nia sees what looks like a little yellow seed tangled in his short fur, taking root on the skin of his forehead.

“Idiot.”

Nia jumps, turning to see Tobias padding over, worse for wear but still standing. Then she remembers what she’s doing and falls back into a defensive stance.

Except the monkey is staggering around in circles like a drunk man, falling this way and that in a desperate attempt to regain his balance, tail flailing. He’s frowning, blinking hard like he’s trying to concentrate.

“Totter seed,” Tobias explains, shooting Nia a wicked grin. “Dumb ‘mon left his stolen goods sitting over there in the corner.”

Nia’s mouth falls into a little “o” of surprise. “So he’s confused now, right?”

The outlaw grunts and shoots off a vicious jet of water that makes Nia and Tobias flinch even though he’s facing the wrong direction.

“Yup. Let’s finish this since you finally got yourself together. Why do you always wait until I’m beaten to a pulp before finally fighting back?”

Nia barks a laugh, beyond relieved to feel back in control of the situation. “Let’s call it a lesson in ego.”

Tobias snorts and moves to attack. Nia, not wanting to get in his way, positions herself on the other side of the outlaw, so the monkey is left staggering between the two of them. Without his wits about him, the outlaw’s speed is useless, and he flails weakly in the wrong direction as Tobias slams the smaller Pokémon with his tail and sends him towards Nia.

She takes the opportunity, uneasy about using her own fists instead of a weapon. But no, Val’s been teaching her how to punch and kick, so she needs to try to _use_ that knowledge. She goes with a set of punches before shoving the monkey back Tobias’ way. The feeling of hitting solid warmth--fur and muscle and bone--with her own two hands is unnerving, but she tries her best to ignore it as they bat the outlaw back and forth. It’s like the world’s weirdest and most violent game of monkey in the middle, with a literal monkey as the ball. Nia almost laughs aloud at the thought.

Of course, the outlaw chooses that exact moment to blink out of his confusion, used seed falling to the dirt.

The monkey bares his teeth, beaten and bloody and livid, then turns and grabs Tobias, swinging the charmander around and flinging him into Nia. The two fall with a pained yelp into a tangle of limbs.

The outlaw is breathing hard, clearly hurting but not willing to give up the fight. As Nia and Tobias rise back to their feet, side-by-side, the riolu takes a moment to appreciate the feeling of the charmander at her side in the heat of battle. For maybe the first time, she thinks she understands what it means to really feel like a team, to have a real partner.

Then the outlaw dashes forward, and the two of them move at once, bumping into each other—her arm jabs his side, he steps on her foot—and in the confusion the monkey bowls into them both. Sharp, blinding pain shoots through Nia’s right bicep, and she cries out, kicking at the outlaw whose jaws are locked around her arm in a vice grip. She rolls, claws, even tries to manifest her aura, but he just sinks his fangs in deeper. She feels blood gush out, hot and slick.

God, it _hurts_.

Then, there’s something else tugging at the monkey, and she squeezes her eyes open to see Tobias with his arms around the outlaw’s middle, his own teeth latched around the monkey’s shoulder and tugging hard.

Finally, the monkey is ripped free, and Tobias throws him away. Nia presses a hand to her injury, but keeps her eyes squinted open to watch eye the outlaw. The monkey manages to land on his feet, then tries to leap forward again. Nia braces herself.

“Back _off!_ ” Tobias snarls.

And then all she sees are blinding purple flames, beautiful and hot even from a few feet away, engulfing the monkey with a flare of light. Nia watches, breathless, as the ball of flames lands hard, smolders, then slowly putters out. The outlaw’s body is left charred and black in the dirt, and Nia only breathes out when she sees the faint rise and fall of the monkey’s back. For a moment there, she’d thought Tobias had killed him.

“You okay?”

Nia jumps, then looks over to Tobias, crouched down at her side and frowning. His expression is odd, somehow. Pinched.

“W-What was that?” She asks, awed voice raspy. It takes her a moment to realize that she must’ve been making some kind of noise when the outlaw was biting her, because her throat feels a bit raw.

Tobias blinks. “The fire? I, uh. I think I might have learned dragon rage?”

Nia’s eyes widen. “ _Dragon rage?_ That’s sounds awesome!”

Tobias’ expression finally breaks into something lighter, amused. “It _is_ awesome. Now stop stalling, show me your arm.”

Nia hadn’t been meaning to stall, but now she wonders if she even wants to see what the monkey’s sharp teeth did to her. With a hiss, she slowly removes her hand, now sticky with blood. She can feel her heartbeat pulsing at the wound.

Tobias sucks in air between his teeth.

“T-That bad?” She asks, voice wobbly.

“‘S not pretty,” he admits. “Here, hang on...”

Nia watches as Tobias leans close and rummages through the satchel still hanging around her shoulder. He pulls out an oran berry, frowning.

“I thought we had two?”

“W-We did.” Nia had packed them herself.

Tobias looks around, then groans, slumping. Nia follows his gaze, recognizing a smear of smashed blue pulp in the dirt. Great. Must’ve fallen out and gotten stepped on in the scuffle.

“Well, at least eat one,” Tobias says, lifting the berry up to her mouth.

Nia leans back. “But you’re all banged up too, and—“

The charmander rolls his eyes, but there’s less venom in the gesture than usual. Maybe it’s the exhaustion weighing on them both, but Nia would almost say he looks concerned. “My skin’s stinging and I’m exhausted, but I’m not bleeding out through my arm. Eat it.”

Nia hesitates, but takes the berry, chewing it up and letting the sweet tang burst over her tongue. As soon as she swallows, she already feels a bit better. Tobias scoots closer, reaching up to hold her arm with one hand and feeling around the bite with the other, intensely focused. He’s gentler than Nia thought he’d be, but she still winces at the pain.

“The worst of the wound is closing up, but we should probably still staunch the bleeding,” he murmurs, almost to himself.

“W-Would my scarf work?” Nia asks.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Is it in the bag?”

Nia nods, and Tobias rummages through the satchel again with his now-bloodied hands, finally bringing out the red scarf that the riolu has had for weeks. She actually wants to wear it now to symbolize their newly remade team, but she’s still not sure _where_ to wear it. The collar of fur around her neck is just so darn fluffy!

Tobias tugs at the material as if to test its strength, and then nods, satisfied. He scooches around Nia again to get a better look at her wound.

“Don’t move,” he says.

Nia hums an affirmative, closing her eyes and trying not to think about the blood she can feel all over her arm, tacky as it starts to dry. The charmander carefully arranges the scarf around her bite, circling the material twice, before pulling it tight.

Nia flinches and almost tugs her arm away. “Ow!”

“Sorry,” Tobias grumbles, still focused on his work. “Hold still.”

Nia tries to, sniffing back pained tears as the charmander ties the scarf into a knot. When he’s done, he leans back. “How’s that?”

Nia looks at the patch job, a little amused and a little nauseous seeing the bright red scarf against the darker crimson blood staining her arm. That’s gonna be a pain to get out of her fur. She gingerly moves her arm back to her side, slowly bending it to a lax position. It definitely still stings and the muscles are probably bruised, but...

“Much better,” she says, meeting Tobias’ eyes with a shaky smile. “Thanks, doc!”

The charmander rolls his eyes, but his face flushes red and embarrassed as he pushes himself back to his feet. “C’mon, let’s get this loser back to the guild.”

Nia struggles to stand, a bit woozy, but nods. “Right.”

Tobias gathers up the stolen bag of seeds, finds their badges in their satchel, and pulls the charred monkey onto his back, lip curled in disgust.

“You really did a number on him,” Nia says quietly, impressed. “You said that move was...dragon rage? Did you just learn it?”

Tobias shrugs as well as he can with the outlaw on his back, looking uncomfortable. “I guess. That happens as your battling experience goes up and you get stronger. Definitely handy that I learned a dragon type move after that water sport he pulled.” He pauses in the middle of sending out a pick-up request via their badges to give Nia a look. “Speaking of—what’s up with you not using actual moves? I thought you would have adapted to fighting hand-to-hand by now.”

Nia sighs and glances at what remains of her makeshift weapon, lying discarded in the corner of the room. “I guess I really should stop depending on a weapon so much. Didn’t do me much good today.”

“No, not that,” Tobias waves her off. “I mean, yeah, that too, but even when you were punching, you weren’t using _moves._ You were just using basic body attacks. Why?”

Nia blinks at him. “Uh. What do you mean I wasn’t using moves?”

The charmander blinks back at her. “You…you didn’t _know_ you weren’t?”

“I thought I was! I was punching a-and kicking and stuff! That’s what fighting types do, right?”

Tobias opens his mouth to explain, but then seems to reconsider and just heaves an exasperated groan. “We need to talk to Val tomorrow. Arceus, I thought you just weren’t using ‘em for some dumb personal reason, not because you didn’t know how to use them _at all._ ”

Nia’s ears pin back. “I...I thought I _was_ using them.”

“And I haven’t seen you two spar much since I’ve mostly been with Azami, so Val might not even know that you don’t know…” Tobias trails off, more to himself than to Nia. “We’re talking to her about this tomorrow. It’d help if you actually knew how to use your moves. And how to not freeze in battle until I’m half dead.”

His tone is harsh, but lacking the old bite it used to have. Nia still whines and buries her face in a hand, embarrassed. “I’m sorry! I promise it’s not on purpose. It just really caught me off guard, fighting a Pokémon that wasn’t feral.” Nia tries to latch onto something other than everything she’s apparently doing wrong. “A-At least we can tell Azami about your new move tomorrow too, right?”

Tobias nods, looking the faintest bit proud. “True.”

Their conversation is cut off as one of the retrieval psychics at the guild calls them back in a beam of light. Nia’s stomach flips, and when they land back on solid wood, the riolu collapses to her knees.

“You aren’t gonna pass out, are you?” Tobias asks, frowning at her.

Nia squeezes her eyes shut, fighting off a wave of nausea and lightheadedness. “N-No, I don’t think so. Just the blood loss, I’m pretty sure.”

There’s the quiet murmuring of voices, and the shifting of Tobias handing off the outlaw to the psychic type. Some more talking, and then the charmander’s light footsteps return to her side.

“Maggie’ll have some spare oran berries lying around if you can get back to the room.” Tobias says. He sounds a little awkward, like being any form of encouraging with his words is physically making him uncomfortable. Nia almost smiles.

“I...I think I’m fine.” The riolu blinks open her eyes, glancing around. The psychic type taking care of their case (not an abra, but an adorable, green jelly-like Pokémon who is shooting her worried looks) has the unconscious monkey chained up in psychic bindings, presumably to wait for law enforcement to take the outlaw away. At least, that’s what she guesses. She’s never done this before. Are there Pokémon police? Are _they_ the police? She needs a badge. Wait, she has one of those.

“Okay, c’mon, before you pass out on the floor,” Tobias grumbles, hesitating before wrapping a warm arm around her back to help her to her feet. Nia stumbles, then slowly allows herself to put some of her weight onto Tobias. The charmander slings her uninjured arm around his shoulders, face flushed with embarrassment as he pointedly avoids her gaze. Then, the two start their arduous trek up the stairs to Maggie’s quarters.

Once or twice Nia considers thanking the charmander for helping her like this, but he’s already burning with embarrassment—quite literally, he feels hotter than normal—so she lets it be.

“Maggie’s gonna be so mad,” Nia mumbles when they’re nearly there.

Tobias has relaxed enough (or is maybe just exhausted enough) to snort a laugh. Nia can feel it rumble through his ribs, pressed against her side.

“She’s gonna be ticked at both of us,” He agrees. “I don’t know why she always throws such a fit when we get hurt. It’s part of the job.”

“Occupational hazard,” Nia agrees with a tired smile.

The two are silent the rest of the way, and sure enough, as soon as they step through the door, Maggie descends on them with all the worried wrath of a mother scolding her terrible, danger-prone children.

Nia relaxes and lets herself be babied. Her chest hurts just as much as her arm, something in her finding Maggie’s motherly worry familiar and comforting, in an aching, longing sort of way, so she lets the meganium fuss over her injuries. She’s feeling far too fond of the situation, really, as she watches Tobias stubbornly shooing Maggie away from his own wounds. It’s nice, to be cared about. To have somewhere safe to come home to.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training time! Nia and Tobias work on their team combat with Val and discuss Nia’s struggle to use moves.

It’s two days later when Tobias and Nia finally get the chance to go to the training area. The bite on Nia’s arm from the outlaw was deeper than either of them had realized, so even after a few sitrus berry treatments and a lot of fuss from Maggie, it had been clear Nia wouldn’t be throwing any punches for a day or two.

Their combat-free day was taken up by a tour of the guild for a few kids who lived in the Haven. Other than a pair of bratty rattata sisters constantly trying to run off, it was an admittedly nice chance for the two of them to recoup. Besides, a storm had rolled in as well, rain finally falling for the first time in weeks, so Tobias had no desire to get out anyways. The Haven really needed the bout of rain to pour some life back into the dry forest, but it still would’ve been annoying to have to deal with on a mission.

When Tobias shakes the riolu awake the second morning after their outlaw battle, she gives her injured arm a tentative stretch and flex, and he’s glad to hear that it’s only a little sore. He tries to be a “considerate” partner and ask her if she can train with it instead of _telling_ her to, but he’s relieved when she says she can. He’s been itching for some activity.

The two of them leave for the day with a promise to a worried Maggie that they’ll come back with minimal damage this time. Nia’s still waking up, so it’s a quiet trip down to the training floor as she fiddles with the red scarf tied awkwardly around her neck. It’s the first time Tobias has actually seen her wear it, and something about their matching attire makes him proud. They actually look like a team now, even if the scarf does look weird on her, the collar of fur underneath it so fluffy that it poofs out awkwardly around the fabric. He’s not sure how to tell her to tie it somewhere else without making it sound mean, so he stays silent for now, even if she looks ridiculous.

Nia breaks out of her sleepy stupor when the two of them run into Azami on the way to the training floor, and the tsareena meets their surprise with a laugh.

“Sorry, Spitfire, I won’t be able to train with you today. Just received an urgent mission from August himself!”

Tobias feels disappointment rise up in his chest, but tries not to look put out by the news. He...he didn’t actually want to show Azami his new dragon rage attack anyways. Nia pins back her ears with a quiet, “Oh.”

Azami gives them both a grin. “Aw, don’t give me those yamper eyes! I’ll be around and ready to kick your butts next time you come to train!”

Nia gives her a half-hearted smile. “O-Okay. Good luck!”

“Thanks! You be good for Val, all right, Spitfire?”

Tobias snorts and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

Azami just laughs, giving them a wink before heading off. Tobias moves into the training floor to look for Val, and Nia follows, sending a few not-at-all-subtle glances his way. He sighs, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice when he says, “What?”

Nia runs her paws through the ruff of fur around her neck, trying to tuck it back under her scarf. “I uh. Was wondering why you didn’t tell Azami about your new move?”

Tobias huffs. “Not like she has time to check it out right now anyways.” And it’s not like he cares _that_ much. He purposefully squashes the leftover disappointment in his gut and straightens up. “She’ll see it eventually. Might as well surprise her in the middle of a spar.”

Nia smiles. “Oh! Right! Imagine how excited she’ll be for you!” She’s not wrong there. The tsareena is an almost annoyingly invested teacher.

They reach the back area that Val is usually at, where she’s finishing up a talk with a roselia. When the two finish their conversation, they bow to one another. The roselia turns to leave, and lights up at the sight of Nia.

“Hey, Nia! Good luck with practice today!”

The riolu jumps, surprised, before smiling nervously back and saying, “Th-Thanks, Briar!”

The charmander watches the roselia go, confused. “How d’you know her?” He didn’t even know the Pokémon’s name, and he’s seen her here and there around the guild for at least a few years.

Nia wrings her paws. “W-Well, a lot of Pokémon are curious about the former human of the guild, so they like to introduce themselves. They’re nice, so I don’t mind.”

That doesn’t surprise him. Nia’s a bit nervous by nature, but she clearly likes talking and making friends. Of course the other Pokémon would flock to her with annoying questions about being human. Well, better her than him. He can’t hold a conversation to save his life, even if he wanted to.

“Good morning.”

Val’s quiet voice breaks Tobias out of his thoughts, and he looks over to see Val walking up to them, her eyes immediately zeroing in on Nia’s healing arm wound, scabbed over by now. 

“‘Morning,” Nia echoes, smiling. She sounds nervous, and moves her paw up, almost as if to cover the bite marks, before hesitantly dropping it again.

Val doesn’t question it, more than a few old scars littering her own body, and instead says, “Today we will practice team fighting.”

“First,” Tobias interrupts, crossing his arms. “Did you know that Nia doesn’t know how to use moves?”

Val’s usual stoic expression doesn’t change. “I am aware.”

Oh, well that changes the whole tone of this conversation, doesn’t it? Tobias feels anger light in his belly, a growl rolling through his voice as he says, “Then why haven’t you been _teaching_ her how to use any actual attacks?!”

Val doesn’t look offended by his accusatory tone, and that just makes him angrier. “I thought it best to tackle that problem later. I did not want to overwhelm her when she was still learning basic bodily functions and form.”

“And you didn’t think that would be a little _dangerous,_ leaving her so defenseless?”

Nia shoots him a pleading look that clearly asks him to drop it, but he ignores her.

“E-Rank Pokemon are usually manageable without moves. I assumed you would be fine.”

Tobias throws up his arms, the fire in his belly stoking higher, into his throat. “Clearly not! If Nia knew how to use her attacks, maybe she could’ve avoided having a bite taken out of her arm!”

Val still doesn’t seem defensive in the slightest, and instead eyes him with interest. “You’re angry.”

“Of course I’m angry! You let us waltz around fighting outlaws when Nia doesn’t know basic _moves_!”

“T-Tobias, it’s fine, I should’ve brought it up—“

“No it’s not!” Tobias snaps, turning his glare onto Nia. She shrinks back. “It’s her job to teach us, and moves should’ve been one of the first lessons, especially for you!”

Tobias turns back to the medicham, intent on yelling up at her a bit more (ugh, why can’t she be _shorter?!_ ), but she cuts him off with a calm, “Allow me to speak, Charmander.”

Tobias considers going off on her anyways, but then snaps his jaws shut, a stream of white smoke wisping up from his nose.

The medicham looks to Nia and, still with that same infuriating calm to her voice, says, “I apologize. For not preparing you for such a dangerous fight. I underestimated the fierce nature of the Pokémon you faced, and your own capabilities.” 

Nia blinks up at the older Pokemon with wide eyes, looking somewhere between surprised and uncomfortable.

“However,” Val adds, dark eyes focusing on Tobias. “You must both understand that with or without moves, you will be injured working as Seekers. It is simply part of the job.”

Tobias frowns. She’s not wrong of course—Seeker teams have one of the highest mortality rates of all careers for a reason. But...

“You still could’ve done your job,” he grumbles, gaze flicking once more to Nia’s arm. He can still hear the riolu screaming in pain, can still feel the unexpected panic lurch in his gut. Not a fun time.

Nia shifts her worried gaze up to Val, a soft smile on her muzzle. “I-It’s fine, Val. Really. Everyone makes mistakes.”

Tobias curses under his breath. The worst part is that he knows Nia is genuine, too. Looks like he’s gonna have to be angry enough for the both of them.

“I still apologize for my oversight,” Val says, voice solemn. She looks to Tobias next. “I understand that you will be angry with me for a while.”

“Let’s just get to training,” he grumbles.

Val nods and doesn’t try to push the issue. The medicham leads them both to the center of the training ring they typically use. “Today we will work on cooperative training. Team fighting.” Before Tobias can open his mouth to snarl a complaint, the medicham adds, “We will also work on your movesets.” The riolu nods, and Tobias settles down again. 

“Practicing singular battle techniques is important. But as Seekers, teamwork is key,” Val goes on. “Teamwork in combat especially. We will work on how you can build off of each other’s strengths, and cover each other’s weaknesses. Have you noticed a clash in your fighting styles?”

Nia laughs, sounding embarrassed. “Um, y-yeah. When we were fighting the outlaw, we kind of just...tripped over each other?”

Tobias frowns. Right. They’d moved at the same time, and she’d elbowed him in the ribs. He might have stepped on her paw, too. They stumbled and gave the panpour a huge opening for attack.

Val nods, looking satisfied. “That is what we must avoid. When you are on a mission, you are not two separate Pokémon. You are not just taking turns and trying to avoid each other. You are _one_ team. With practice, you will support each other effortlessly. A cohesive unit.”

Tobias doesn’t object, despite his reservations about having to adapt his fighting style. He’s hung around the training areas enough over the years to have seen teams battling in tandem. It’s frighteningly effective.

Nia shifts on her paws, but her ears are pricked and her ruby eyes bright with curiosity. “S-So how do we practice?”

Val takes a step back and sinks into a defensive stance. “You fight me. Together. Your goal is to land a hit.”

Nia blinks. “W-Wait, wha—“

Tobias doesn’t waste the opportunity, dashing forwards to throw himself claws-first at the medicham. He has some aggression to work out.

But before he can register what’s happening, Val’s sliding around his strike, snatching his arm and yanking him around. She brings her knee down into his back and slams him to the ground, hard enough to wind him. She pulls his arms back and holds them with a single hand, pinning him down, and he can sense her other hand hovering close to his neck. He freezes, struggling to catch his breath.

He can’t see Nia, but he can imagine the startled, wide-eyed expression on her face.

“Being out of sync with your partner could get you killed,” Val says, lightly. “If I had claws, you would be dead. And your partner cannot help, because you are now a hostage.”

Tobias wants to snark a reply, but feeling the medicham’s hand so close to his neck—

_He has his scarf on it’s fine he’s safe here—_

And then Val is letting him go and stepping back. Tobias pushes himself up on his hands and knees and tries to calm the beginnings of panic that were stirring in his chest. Nia crouches down next to him, hands raised hesitantly, like she wants to help but isn’t sure how. “A-Are you okay?”

“Fantastic,” Tobias croaks, staggering to his feet and glaring at Val. Her calm expression doesn’t change. Nia stands up, too, and the medicham once again falls into a defensive stance. Tobias growls, feeling his lip curl back. Before he can move, Nia’s light touch is on his arm, catching his attention.

“W-Wait. Maybe we should make a plan first? That’s what the whole lesson’s about, right? Teamwork?”

The charmander keeps his acidic stare trained on Val, but doesn’t move. She’s right. He huffs out a puff of white smoke. “Any ideas?”

Nia is silent for a moment. Val patiently waits.

“We could attack her at the same time?” Nia murmurs, voice just loud enough for Tobias to hear. “Try to overwhelm her?”

Tobias eyes the medicham’s wide stance. “She‘s too fast,” he whispers back. “We need something else to throw her off if we want a chance of breaking her defense.”

“Oh!” Nia grabs excitedly at his arm, struggling to keep her voice down. “What about your smoke breath? Like you did in that one dungeon!”

Tobias snorts. “Smokescreen?”

Nia nods. “Yeah! That would throw her off, right?”

“Worth a shot. Let’s go.”

Tobias darts forward, lunging as if to attack Val, but then skids to a stop and hops back at the last second. The medicham makes to grab him, but falters at his sudden change of direction. Tobias takes advantage of the moment to suck in a deep breath, then exhales a giant cloud of grayish-white smoke, thick like fog.

Val moves back, away from him, just in time for Nia to sprint past him. The riolu leaps up with a kick, but the medicham easily deflects it, sending the smaller Pokémon flying past her and into the smokescreen. Tobias growls and charges again, spinning around to slam his tail into the medicham’s legs—

Only to meet empty air, stumbling and almost falling flat on his face with the momentum. He looks up to see Nia come rushing back in through the smoke and missing her target entirely with a punch.

In hindsight, maybe smokescreen _wasn’t_ their best idea.

Val twists to grab the riolu, and slings her away. Nia hits the dirt and rolls back to her feet. She looks up, freezing as Val darts forward and slams a force palm into the riolu’s gut. Nia goes tumbling backwards with a yelp.

Tobias growls and dashes in, determined to just make one solid hit. But Val hears him coming and easily dodges around his messy scratch attack, spinning to kick his side and send him rolling into the dirt as well.

The charmander is quick to stagger back to his feet despite the light bruise he can feel blooming on his side. But Val is no longer in her fighting stance, patiently waiting as the smokescreen clears. Nia coughs a few times before sitting up, wincing.

“Come here,” Val says.

Tobias grumbles under his breath but does as told, trudging back to the medicham with frustration bubbling in his gut. Nia joins him after a few seconds, paw gingerly rubbing at her stomach where she was hit.

“That was better,” Val says, the words not quite sounding like a lie.

“We got destroyed,” Tobias growls.

“I am older and much more experienced than you two. I should be fired if two E-rank Seekers can best me in combat so easily.”

Oh great, now she’s gloating? Didn’t really seem like the type, honestly. Tobias feels his lip curl into a snarl.

“I only say this to explain that I should not be who you compare yourselves to. You are new, and learning. Young. You will grow stronger in time. The most pressing issue for you two is your teamwork. That assault was uncoordinated. Too much so to be effective. Neither of you communicated or built off of each other’s attacks past that first smokescreen, and instead attacked entirely on your own.”

Nia winces, and Tobias crosses his arms, glaring at the ground.

“But that is why you are here. Your teamwork will improve. Before we try again, we will work on moves.”

Nia glances over at her partner. “T-Tobias too?”

“Yes.” Maybe Val can see the complaint on Tobias’ face, because she looks to him and adds, “As well as tactics and movements, you two must become familiar with each other’s attacks. The strength, the range, the stamina needed for each. Understood?”

Tobias is getting sick of the medicham making good points, because he really just wants an excuse to punch her in the face. “Yeah, yeah, fine,” he mumbles. “So what, I just show Nia my moves?”

“Yes, you will start,” Val confirms. “We’ll go from there.” The medicham steps back and crosses her arms, looking at Tobias expectantly.

The charmander never thought he’d admit to missing Azami as his primary teacher, but he’ll take anything over Val’s infuriating calm. Tobias sighs and turns to Nia, who looks back at him nervously. She seems as uncertain as he feels about this whole thing.

“She’s seen all of my moves before,” Tobias says, glancing at Val. “So...”

“Demonstrate,” Val says, nodding. “And then describe. How it feels, how it hits.”

Tobias takes a step away from the riolu, turning so she’s out of the line of fire. Putting all of the boredom he possibly can into his tone, he drawls, “Scratch.” He swipes weakly at the air in front of him, claws flexed. “Pretty self-explanatory. Ember—“

“More detail,” Val commands.

The charmander growls. “ _Fine_. Scratch is a weak move, and it’s just normal type. But I can use it a lot without getting tired.” Tobias looks over to Val, expecting her to object, but she just nods. He moves his gaze to Nia, not surprised to see her nerves have shifted to open curiosity.

Tobias goes back to his demonstration. “Metal claw is similar, but its type is helpful for rock and ground types, especially since I’m weak to them.” He flexes his fingers, calling up the familiar thin layer of metallic sheen to coat his claws, and then swipes at the air again. Nia’s hand shoots up in the corner of his eye, and he raises a brow at how she has her arm raised into the air. “Uh. What?”

“How do you do that?” Nia asks, brow furrowed and ears pricked with interest, mind clearly working on overdrive. “I mean, biologically it seems strange that you’d just be able to change how your claws are structured? Or that you’d even be able to use steel type moves when you’re a fire type.”

Tobias rolls his eyes and steps closer to Nia. He holds his hand out for her to see, flexing his fingers and willing the metallic shine to coat his claws again. “My claws aren’t changing. The metal’s forming a layer on the outside.”

Nia crouches down to be at eye level with his hands, staring at his claws in open fascination. “Can you do it again?”

Tobias knows this’ll get her to stop her line of questioning faster, so he does.

Nia frowns. “Is it like...a liquid? Coming from your fingers? Is it even metal or something that just mimics it? Why—“

“Look, I dunno,” Tobias says, trying not to snap at the riolu. “All I know is that when I want to, I can do it. It hurts Pokémon like a steel type move, so that’s what we call it. Maybe the archive has a book that talks more about the details of it, but I don’t know and I don’t really care.”

Nia shrinks back, not quite looking satisfied, but nodding regardless. “O-Okay. Thank you.”

And with that, Tobias steps back, moving on. Next he demonstrates his ember attack and how he can adjust its power and range, before showing how he can use the fire move on his own metal claw attack to create a more physical fire move. Something like a fiery scratch. Val doesn’t make any more objections, and Nia looks properly interested by everything, so the rest of the demonstrations go smoothly—smokescreen, tail whip, and finally his new move, dragon rage.

Val straightens up at the appearance of the purplish flames. “You learned this recently?”

“Fighting the outlaw the other day, yeah,” Tobias says, catching his breath. Nia notices, and looks concerned.

“I can’t use this move as much as the others,” he explains, shrugging. “Certain attacks just wear you out more. Your stamina can only go so far.”

Nia nods, brow furrowed. He can practically _see_ the klinklang turning in her head. He’s surprised she hasn’t started jotting down notes in the dirt.

“Congratulations on the new technique,” Val says, breaking Tobias out of his thoughts. The medicham’s expression doesn’t change, so he can’t tell how sincere she is. It kind of just makes him mad all over again.

Nia raises her hand again. Tobias raises a brow. “I don’t know why you keep doing that, but it’s weird. What?”

Nia blinks, then laughs, sheepishly lowering her hand. “S-Sorry. Uh, old habit. Um, I was wondering how you learn new moves so suddenly? It seems impossible for your body to one moment not know how to do something, and the next suddenly just...have an entirely new power? B-But that seems to be how your dragon rage worked?”

Tobias doesn’t have an answer for that, aside from the fact that few Pokémon have ever really question how the universal truths of Pokémon growth works, as far as he knows.

“Why does it matter?” he asks, exasperated. “We just...get stronger, get enough experience with battling and fighting, and I guess our bodies realize we’re good enough to handle something more powerful. So we learn it. We still have to practice new moves to be able to control them.”

“You question basic facts. Most Pokemon don’t think twice about them,” Val says, looking at Nia with a thoughtful tilt of her head.

Nia’s ears pin back. “S-Sorry, I just—“

“I did not say it was bad,” Val interrupts. “Simply...different. I don’t believe Charmander and I have the in-depth answers you seek. Perhaps the archives or Alistair could assist you better?” 

Nia offers a tentative smile. “Y-Yeah, I’ll try that. Sorry, it’s just so strange to me.” 

Val nods. “You have said humans are much different than us. But you are here as a Pokemon for the time being. And it is your turn to demonstrate.” 

The riolu shoots Tobias a worried look as she rises to her paws. The charmander offers a shrug as he plops down onto the ground to watch, leaning back onto his arms. This should be good. 

Nia does as Tobias did, taking a few cautious steps away and sinking into a light fighting stance that almost looks natural by now. They wait. One second. Five. She doesn’t move.

Then, Nia’s tail tucks under herself, and her head hangs. She looks over to Val. “I-I don’t know how to do this.”

“She doesn’t know any moves, genius,” Tobias reminds Val. Nia winces.

The medicham doesn’t look at all ruffled by Tobias’ taunt. Instead, she brings her hand up to her chin. “How do you fight in dungeons, Riolu? Demonstrate.”

“I-I uh. Usually use a branch as a weapon. But I guess the few times I’ve had to fight on my own…” Nia still seems uncertain, but returns to her stance. Then, she throws her fist forward in a punch, and then the other, spinning on her foot to kick at the air. They still don’t look like actual fighting moves, but her form has definitely improved from Val’s training. The riolu finishes her combo and looks over at Val again, nervously awaiting judgement.

The medicham moves to her side. “You are mimicking fighting type movements, but you are not using your fighting type power. That would explain your lack of moves.”

“My...fighting type power?” Nia echoes, tilting her head. “But...I thought fighting like this _was_ my power? I-I mean, Tobias has fire since he’s a fire type, b-but I just use like...physical hits and stuff, right?”

Val shakes her head. “The attacks you are doing now are not _moves_. Charmander could learn to do them as well. Any Pokemon with a similar body type could. You are simply punching. Kicking. What you are doing now has no ‘type.’”

Tobias grudgingly listens to Val’s words, curious despite himself. Combat has always come naturally to him, so he’s never had to think about any of this, how it works. When he wants to use a move, he just... _does_ it.

Nia looks crestfallen. “But...I thought that’s what fighting types did? W-What’s the difference?”

Val pauses, then says, “Defensive position.”

Nia looks confused, but when Val shifts into a fighting stance, the riolu yelps and hurries to plant her feet, moving her arms up to guard herself. Val strikes with a measured jab of her palm, and Nia absorbs the blow with relative ease, only pushed back a few inches. Before she can move, Val says, “Stay.”

Nia stays braced, expression openly confused, until Val replicates the last move. This time, Nia’s arms almost slam into her body with the force of the blow, and she’s sent skidding back a few feet. The riolu looks up, wide-eyed.

“My first attack was what you have been doing. A simple use of my body. A hit, yes, but not a move. It used none of my energy, fighting or psychic. The second strike was using my fighting energy. Even in a non-effective matchup, you can see how much power such an approach gives.”

Tobias raises his brows, looking again at Nia. She’s been somewhat helpful in dungeons so far even without moves, at least when she’s not frozen in fear. Sure, they’re only E-rank (and climbing higher every day), but still. Even without moves, she hasn’t really been too much of a _liability_. It’s kind of awesome to hear that if she can get her moves to work, she’ll be much more useful in fights.

Nia frowns down at her palms, deep in thought. “How do I use that energy, though? It’s not the same as aura, right?”

“Correct. Your aura is entirely different. It can be used for moves, but it is not the fighting energy needed for most of your attacks.”

“S-So how do I use that energy? How do I…find it?”

For a few moments, Val is silent. And then, to Tobias’ surprise, she frowns, crossing her arms. “I do not know.”

“What?” Nia yelps.

“I have never encountered this issue. Most Pokémon automatically know these things. It is instinctive as we grow. I am unsure of how to lead you to it.”

“But...” Nia trails off, a quiet whine slipping from her throat. “But I need to learn this to be a good fighter, right?”

Val doesn’t respond, and that in itself gives them both the answer. For a few moments, it’s noticeably tense. Val seems stumped, Nia looks like she’s near tears, and Tobias feels incredibly uncomfortable with the emotionally charged atmosphere.

Then, Val sighs. “Do not fret. Azami may have more helpful ideas for you. For now, we must continue our training regardless.” She looks over to Tobias. “Ready?”

The charmander rises to his feet and moves to stand beside Nia, glancing awkwardly at the riolu. She sniffs, wetly, but he can’t tell if she’s actually crying or not.

“The next exercise will not require moves. You will spar with each other.”

Tobias’ attention snaps away from Nia so he can look up at Val. “What? What’s the point in making us fight each other if we’re on the same team?”

“I believe you will find it helpful for learning different styles of combat. Especially so for you two, who take very different approaches to battle.”

Tobias supposes he can kind of see the good in that. He shoots Nia another furtive glance. The riolu has her head down, eyes glued to the dirt as her paws fiddle with her scarf. She can’t hide her emotions to save her life, but he hasn’t seen her this openly upset since Afon’s Cap. Would it even be worth fighting her when she’s like this?

“Go,” Val prompts, stepping away to watch from the sidelines. “No moves. Make gestures as placeholders. Just no real damage.”

Tobias shoots Val a nasty glare. Like he was actually going to hurt his partner in a spar. He knows how this works. He moves to stand a few feet in front of Nia. The riolu doesn’t react.

“Nia,” he says, trying to keep his voice level. Casual.

The riolu visibly swallows, swipes at her eyes, and finally looks up at him. The fur of her cheeks is damp and the red of her eyes is brighter than usual, especially with her scarf making them pop. She exhales, and it shudders and catches. But she still sinks into a defensive battle stance with a sniff, and hesitantly nods. Tobias reluctantly follows her lead, preparing for a fight. It’s not like they’re friends or anything, but he still doesn’t wanna fight Nia when she’s _crying_. Just seems kinda low, even for him.

“Begin!” Val calls.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! ^^ Comments and kudos are much appreciated. Feel free to come on over to my tumblr (teshamerkel) to chat about the story more!


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